Apostollo
by Onar27
Summary: Not all battles are already fought... An ancient book of spells, a phycho avenger that would stop at nothing and a family that must find a way to stick together even when everything falls apart... Maybe magic cannot fix everything... can love prevail, where magic cannot? How hard can you fight to protect someone you love? And can you keep on fighting when that someone is lost?
1. Chapter 1: What comes after the Blues

DISCLAIMER: This is entirely J.K.R's work and I am not her,or I would be rich and successful... but alas I am just a fan. Anyway, the characters belong to J.K. except from the ones that belong to me. Please refrain from taking any of my original ideas and I really hope that you will enjoy my story. Feel free to leave reviews! Thanks!

Chapter 1

"C'mon Harry, we have to go!" Hermione said impatiently.

It was late in the afternoon and Harry Potter was still going through his report about his latest mission in his office. It was a job he had never appreciated, but it had to be done, so he fixed his partner with a stern gaze.

"You know if someone had told me years ago, that you'd be the one encouraging me not to finish my work, I'd have called them crazy".

"Yes, but the kids are arriving any minute now!"

"The kids are arriving in two hours", Harry sighed still not moving from his chair.

He knew that once his kids and nephews and nieces were back for the summer he wouldn't be able to get any work done and he wanted to finish everything he had left so no one from the office would come bothering him during the summer break. He had promised his kids that this summer they could all go away together and he didn't want to let them down, especially Lily, the one who was most excited with the whole idea.

"Harry, you do know that there are other aurors except you and me to take care of this office, right?" Hermione persisted.

"And how much unfinished work have you left? None. It's easy for you to act like this. You've had all the week to get your work done, I came back from Mexico yesterday", he said but stood up. "I hate this job!" he complained.

"No, you don't", Hermione replied, shaking her head. "You love it! Come on we have to pick up my lovely sister in law!"

"What about Ron?"

"He and George are waiting for a new order today, so he'll meet us there".

"So I cannot be late, but your husband can?"

"Yes because when my husband says he'll meet us there he means he'll meet us there" she said walking towards the elevator. "When you say something like that you never..." she cut her sentence short as the doors of the elevator opened and their supervisor burst in.

"Good, you two are still here" said the old crinkled man, upon seeing them, though it did not do much to change the dim expression he bore.

He was wearing his ordinary, long, black cloak, with the badge of the auror office pinched on it. He was about seventy years old. Too old to be Head of the department, but it was a common secret that they were planning of making him retire soon. Neither Harry nor Hermione appreciated that much.

"Actually we were just leaving" Hermione rushed to say.

She knew that it was easy for him to cancel their days of. She still remembered when Matthiaw had forced them to spend last Christmas alphabetising files from their previous cases; though to be fair, she had bugged Harry to do just that for months. Nevertheless, she didn't feel like taking any chances this time, so she wanted to leave as soon as possible. She just wished that Harry wouldn't...

"What's going on?" he asked and Hermione sighed.

As Matthias Barge, their supervisor, walked towards the nearest desk she mouthed to Harry: _"Ginny is going to kill you!"_

"There's something I have neglected to inform you about", said the man turning to face them.

The crinkles on his forehead deepened, as his eyebrows came closer to each other. He _was_ worried. More worried than any of them had ever seen him be. Hermione walked towards him, forgetting about her rush.

"Are you going to tell us what that thing I collected in Mexico was?" Harry said full of curiosity.

"No", he said, disappointing Harry. "There were some murders that used to concern me. They all seemed to have a connection, a rather disturbing connection".

"Okay, wait a minute. Why are you talking to us about common homicides? I thought that new recruited aurors were dealing with such simple issues. Or are we the only ones still in the building?" Hermione said giving Harry an angry look.

"This was never a simple issue, but as you said it wasn't your area of expertise anymore, so I didn't have you involved, though I rather thing that I should have".

"Fine then" Hermione gave in, while Harry was sitting on his desk.

When she sat next to him the old man continued.

"I believe you remember the murder of your friend Dean Thomas six months ago?"

"Of course, how could we forget?" Harry said sadly.

"Well it appears that his death is linked with nine others".

"Nine?" Hermione said in disbelief.

"You've got any lead on the killer?" Harry asked. "How is it linked?"

"Well, all of the victims..."Matthias hesitated.

"What?" Harry asked.

"All of the victims or someone related to them seem to be involved with Voldemort, somehow".

"What?!" Harry exclaimed. "And you're telling me this now?" he went on outraged as Hermione was bringing her hand on her mouth.

"It was just an assumption until a couple of hours ago".

"You still ought to tell me!"

"What do you mean 'a couple of hours ago?" Hermione asked, though she was not so sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"A new group of Death Eaters took the entire blame for the ten deaths", Matthias gave the answer.

"What?" Hermione whispered, all the colour draining from her face, but Harry snorted.

"Death Eaters? Death Eaters are gone Matthias. I locked them up in Azkaban myself".

"Yes, _we,_ we...the two of us and my husband captured the last escaping Death Eaters almost seven years ago" Hermione said perfectly convinced this was a mistake.

"That's why I said they were a new group".

"But Voldemort is dead", insisted the woman.

"They have a new leader. We do not know his real name but he calls himself...'Apostollo'" explained Matthias.

"Come on, Matthias, we shouldn't be worried right? I mean, it's only shocking because they call themselves that. And they only did it in order to invoke that exact feeling in us. We have faced a team of murderers before".

"Yes Harry but in his letter that 'Apostollo' said that they came out in open just because they've gotten strong now. He said they are to continue their work until they take full revenge".

Silence fell among them. Hermione was still shocked and Harry still dubious. He couldn't believe that after all of those years the past would come back to haunt them. Death Eater back? They had killed Dean and nine others. And who the hell that 'Apostollo' was? They wanted revenge. All three of them knew exactly where they'd come looking for it. Surely he was the first person they would seek it from. So that was how Dean's mysterious death was explained.

Harry felt his heart pounding hard against his chest, as he thought of the similarities with the past. Mysterious deaths...that was how it had started the last time. There was no Voldemort now though. Death Eaters were nothing without their Dark Lord. Yet nine people were dead and one of them was their friend. All the victims or someone related to them was involved in Voldemort's fall. Someone related. Related...

"Matthias, whoever this person is, he could be coming for..."

"The kids!" Hermione exclaimed jumping up.

Lily Potter was staring out of her window. She loved Hogwarts, but she had to admit that when she was crying for her parents to let her go earlier, three years ago, she hadn't thought about being away from them and how much she would miss them. So she was kind of sad that school was over, but couldn't help but wish the train could go faster. She loved her friends and her classes, but she also missed her dad's smile and her mom's cooking. Her dad had promised in one of his letters that they could all go away on holiday. Needless to say that the few times they had attempted it, all hell had broken loose; whether it was forgetting to wake Albus and take him with, James coming down with Dragon Pox or her dad being called on a sudden mission, none a single vacation had gone as planned. This time it would though. She trusted her dad, he'd make it work. She wondered where they'd go.

"Hey Lil, why are you on your own?"

She raised her red head to see her cousin, Hugo, walking in and sitting next to her. Lily and Hugo were both twelve, going on thirteen. They were cousins, but they were so much alike, that if everybody didn't know who their parents were, they'd think they were siblings. They both had red, straight hair, freckles and pale blue eyes. The Weasley genes ran strong, their grandmother always said. She wasn't wrong, Lily often thought, as most of her cousins had red hair, even if both of her older brothers hadn't.

"Oh, I just wanted it to be quiet so I can imagine the place we'll go for holiday".

"Well, I wouldn't get that excited if I were you", her cousin pointed out, as he fell into a seat.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"For one thing I'm not so sure that mom and Uncle Harry..."

"Oh, c'mon Hugo! They said they wouldn't work, don't ruin it for me!" Lily pleaded.

"Okay let's say they don't. What about my dad? What if Uncle George can't handle the shop by his own? I mean isn't that why dad left the auror office in the first place, to help him out?"

Lily didn't know what to respond to all of this so she turned to her window again. Those Weasleys always had a way to irritate her. Whatever Hugo said though, she was certain they would go...her dad had promised.

Meanwhile the door of an empty compartment, not so far away from the one Lily and Hugo were in, burst open by James Potter. He stepped in swearing under his breath holding the right side of his face with his hand. God, those Slytherins were so stupid! Why did that prat had to punch him? Why couldn't he hex him just like James did?

He sat next to the window, took his hand off his face and looked at his reflection. The fifteen year old boy that stared back at him had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, just a tone lighter than his mother's, however James was certain that his mother's right eye wasn't red and swollen like his was at that moment.

"Mom is going to kill me!" he muttered to himself.

"Well, that's for certain", said a voice from the door.

James rolled his eyes and turned to see his brother, standing there, with a mirth upon his face that irritated him.

"Are you okay? I saw what happened".

"Oh, did you really? I thought your Slytherin friends told you about it".

To James' great outrage, his brother had the audacity to hang with some of them, even if they had repeatingly argued about it. James just couldn't understand what his brother could possibly be thinking. Albus was the one, than he had dreaded that the Sorting Hat might place him in Slytherin and when it placed him in Gryffindor, along with the rest of his family, he went and made friends with the lot of _them_. Typical Albus, not even able to sort out good from rotten.

"There we go again!" sighed Albus. "Why can't you deal with the fact that I'm friends with Scorpius?"

"You know what, I'm not going to argue with you again...just get out...leave me alone!"

"Fine! All I wanted was to see if you were okay".

"Oh, believe you me;I can take care of myself".

"That's what worries me", the boy sighed again.

"Me being able to take care of myself?" James asked taken aback.

"No, you believing you don't need any one of us", said Albus and with these turned around and left.

James fell back in his seat, fuming. Like it wasn't enough that his brother was the exact replica of their father in appearance, he had to go and sound just like him as well.

Harry was waiting at the train station along with Ron for their offsprings to arrive. He and Hermione had passed the news to Ginny,Ron and Mr. Weasley. He glanced at his brother-in-law. He knew that Ron was just as upset as he was but he was trying to hold his fear tamed. Harry wasn't so sure how bad things were. Maybe they were overreacting and his original thought was right...would they be so worried if that group wasn't called Death Eaters? Then again Dean was dead and so were nine more people.

"Harry", Ron said hesitantly.

"What?"

"Is it bad?"

"Don't know", Harry responded looking at him. "I sure hope it's not"

"Do you think that we should take Matthias' advice?"

Harry hesitated. He had thought at first that his supervisor had told them everything so they would stay for the summer and work, but he was wrong. Matthias wanted them to go into hiding. Harry didn't know what to do. He could ignore his supervisor and not take this whole situation seriously; risking his kids' welfare or they could all go into hiding. But how could he do that them? How could he force them to hide? To change their lives? He thought of Ginny. She was back at their house with Hermione, since they consider it to be the most protected one. She didn't seem to know how to react just like he didn't. Harry closed his eyes. Why did this have to happen?

"I think they're here mate", Ron said and Harry opened his eyes.

He looked at the gap between platforms nine and ten. Strange kids were emerging from nowhere carrying huge trunks and owls, looking and pointing at Harry as they went by. Yep, Hogwarts Express had arrived. As they were waiting for the children Harry got a glimpse of Draco Malfoy and his son leaving the station. Harry wondered if Malfoy knew about this whole thing, about 'Apostollo'. He exhaled frustrated. He had already gotten tired of calling that mysterious man like this, he wanted to know his real name, and he wanted to know who he was up against.

"Daddy!"

The red headed girl that just emerged from what appeared to be a wall, abandoned her trunk and ran towards her father, her arms outstretched. Harry couldn't help it, but push 'Apostollo' in the back of his head and smile broadly as his daughter hugged him tightly from the waist. Harry kissed her forehead and looked at her. She had gotten tall.

Ron shook his head grinning and went next to his son helping him drug both his and Lily's trunk, while Rose, Ron's older child, and Albus joined them. Rose also had the Weasley hair, but they were just as frizzy as her mother's once had been, even though now Hermione's hair, seemed to have calmed down a bit. She smiled and hugged her father and Ron noted that she almost reached his shoulder in height now.

Albus passed the Weasleys and hugged his father but no for long since Lily was claiming him exclusively for now.

"Seriously, you guys keep getting bigger and bigger" Ron said looking at them, as his daughter got out of his hug.

"Or maybe you just getting smaller and smaller, dad!" Hugo said smiling.

"So, where's James?" Harry asked as he took Lily's trunk from Ron's grip since he already had Rose's to carry.

"He was behind us", Rose said looking in the crowd for her older cousin.

"He was talking to his friends from the band", Albus explained.

"Band? What band?"

"Oh, come on Ron! How can you not remember that my son is an artist?" smiled Harry.

"Yeah, especially since he was all about it during Christmas", Albus said shaking his head but receiving a warning look from his father.

"Hey".

Harry turned to see his older son drugging his trunk towards them. His hair was ruffled that way that the right side of his face was almost covered. Albus forced himself to suppress a grin.

"Hey", Harry greeted him when he was next to him, hugging his shoulders. "What's with the hair?"

"Nothing I just..." James mumbled while he tried to pull away from his father but it was too late.

Harry pushed James' hair back and saw his swollen eye.

"JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!" Harry yelled angrily. "What on earth happened to your eye?"

"I fell?"

Ginny placed the plates on the table for dinner thinking of the news Harry and Hermione brought. Talk of bad news. Death Eaters were on the loose again? She always thought that her children would be saved from all these. She just hoped that it wouldn't get as bad as Harry's supervisor was predicting. She just couldn't imagine the possibility of losing someone of her family...again.

Hermione entered the room carrying the casserole just when loud voices came from the garden.

"They're here! They're okay!" Hermione screamed and dropping the casserole on Ginny's hands, she stormed out of the room, reaching then door just when Hugo opened it.

"Mom!" was all Hugo managed to say before his mother took him into her hug and held him tightly.

"Oh, Hermione that is so dramatic!" Ginny said sarcastically as she hugged Albus.

Over his shoulder she saw that her other son and her husband were having some kind of an argument as they moved closer to the doorstep.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked after hugging Lily too and kissing James' cheek.

"Nothing", they both said at the same time.

Ginny raised her eyebrows looking at them. Then she shrugged and walked inside clutching Lily's hand.

James sighed relieved. His face had been restored to its normal condition with a simple wave of his father's wand. The boy looked at his father and grinned.

"Thanks dad", he said.

Harry gave his son an stern look that wiped the grin from his face.

"It's only because I don't want your mother to get more upset!" he said as they walked down the hall.

"Why is she upset?" asked James, but he didn't get an answer since they've reached the dining room where everybody was gathered.

They didn't say anything to their children that night. They were all so happy that they were back again that their parents decided not to ruin it. So the Weasleys left for their home when the dinner ended.

They would have stayed up longer, but Lily fell asleep on the couch and Harry carried her upstairs and everybody else followed after that. Lily must have woken up somewhere on the way though, because as Ginny passed her daughter's room, going to her bedroom, she heard her talking with her father. Ginny knew that Harry could stay up and talk with his daughter for hours, so she went to bed.

Her sleep was disturbed, however. She kept changing sides, when at three in the morning she sat up on her bed. She couldn't remember the nightmare she saw, but it had frightened her. She looked at her left for her husband, craving for his warm hug to take her fear away but he wasn't there. He might have fallen asleep in Lily's bedroom, but something made her get up and search for him.

She searched the entire house to find him sitting in the kitchen table in the dark. He had placed his head in his hands and he didn't notice her as she walked close to him.

"Harry?" she whispered making him jump.

"Oh, hey Gin", he whispered back looking up.

"Lumos!" she said and a small light emerged from her wand. "What on Merlin's name are you doing here, all alone?"

"I couldn't sleep", he admitted. He stretched his arm out for her and she walked around the table, so he could hug her. She sat on his lap sighing, as he wrapped his arms around her. He always did that, whenever something would upset him; like if everything would go wrong, if he didn't held onto her tightly enough.

"Are you worried about the Death Eaters?"

"Yeah", he nodded, but then he grinned. "Plus you kept kicking at me!"

"Lies", she replied, grinning back.

"I have bruises to prove it!"

"Shut up, I was having a nightmare!" she said, pinching his arm.

"Ouch!" he complained. "What about?"

"Can't remember", she shrugged. They stayed silent for a few moments, but just as she started thinking of coaxing him back to bed, he spoke.

"What do you think about all of these?" he asked her.

"Well, it sure does sound disturbing, doesn't it?" she replied looking at him and when he didn't respond she continued. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I don't think that getting to worked up is gonna help any. I don't want the kids knowing that something may be wrong and I sure as hell don't want us to go into hiding over someone's threats".

"Don't worry", Harry smiled reassuringly. "I won't let anything happen to them".

"I know", she nodded and she really did know. Her husband would prefer lighting himself on fire, than allow anything and anyone to harm their children; just as she would.

He sighed and then planted a kiss on her shoulder. It was amazing how just a look at her could provide him so much comfort. What was also amazing was that as the years went by she was becoming more and more beautiful if possible, though she still stayed the same Ginny he had fallen in love with. Sometimes he couldn't believe how he had gotten so lucky to have her in his life.

"Gin?"

"What?"

"I love you", he said and she smiled at the serious face he took.

"Well, of course you do! I'm adorable!" she stated kissing his cheek.

"That you are babe", he smiled back.

She looked at his emerald eyes and as he pulled her into a deep, loving kiss, his strong arms holding her tight, all the fear and distress that nightmare had caused her was long gone. That made her think of something she had thought many times before: how lucky she was to have him.

Hermione had gotten up early this morning. Because of the demands her job had, the chance to cook didn't come very often, though she considered herself to be a decent cook and Ron's mom ended up cooking most of their food. She was determined to make a really nice breakfast for her kids today however, even if she knew that most of it would end up in her husband's stomach. She had just finished that thought when Ron came into the kitchen.

"What smells so good?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Hands off Ronald! It's for the kids!" she said and Ron laughed.

"Honey, have you counted our kids lately? They're two not a dozen!" he said gesturing to all the food on the table.

Hermione only managed a grunt at her husband before all hell broke loose. With a bang and a flash of green light the window blew up.

"What the..." Ron said before Hermione drugged him down behind the bench, just as another loud bang was heard and glass flew everywhere.

"Ron, we're under attack!"

"YOU THINK?"


	2. Chapter 2: Don't Dream, It's Over

**Chapter 2 – Don't dream, it's over**

"Ron, we're under attack!"

"You think?" he said ironically and then he turned around the bench to glance out. "I can't see them!" he added while curses flew all over the place.

"Ron, they're aiming to kill!" Hermione screamed while a killing curse hit the opposite wall.

"Mum? What's happening?" Rose asked, entering the kitchen.

"Rosie, watch out!" Hermione yelled terrified just as a curse flew right above her daughter's head.

Ron reached out and grabbed his daughter pulling her behind the closest wall and using his own body to protect her.

"Hermione there's a whole bunch!" Ron said now being able to spot about six to seven masked men outside their house.

"Death Eaters?"

"Yeah", he replied sending a curse at them but missed.

He turned to his horrified daughter.

"Rosie go and get your brother. We need to leave!"

As Rose obeyed her father and ran to her brother's room, a curse blew Hermione's whole breakfast in the air, sending milk and orange juice everywhere.

"My breakfast!" Hermione squealed and then jumped out, wand in hand. "Okay that's it! Now I'm really mad!"

"And they just attacked your house?" Ginny asked her brother again.

"Yeah Ginny, I already told ya!" Ron said as he held his daughter in his hug.

They had managed to apparate to the Potters about a couple of hours ago. Hermione and Harry had left almost immediately for the office and Ron with Ginny stayed home to explain what happened to their mesmerised and frightened children.

"What did they want?" Lily asked giving Hugo a cup of tea.

Ron and Ginny looked at each other. Their kids already knew everything about the war and Death Eaters, there was no way they could keep it a secret anyway, their story was included in every history book; but still, they had never lived the horrors they had and so it was hard for them to understand what was going on or why would someone attack their family.

"Yeah who were they?" James asked looking at his uncle but it was Rose who answered him.

"Mum said they were Death Eaters".

"Death Eaters?" Albus repeated, his tone making it obvious that he was torn between a snort or a gasp, as his brother looked from his uncle to his mother in disbelief.

"Yeah", Ginny said hesitantly. "Apparently they've formed a new group under some crazy guy called...what was it again Ron?"

"Apostollo", Ron replied.

"Who?" James asked but Albus interrupted.

"What does that mean? Death Eaters? Are we in danger?"

Ron exchanged another look with his sister and then he replied.

"Yes, I guess we are", he said and was met with disbelieving looks yet again.

"Does that mean we are not going on holiday?" Lily asked and Ron rolled his eyes; they just had no clue.

"Ha! I told you so!" Hugo exclaimed and Lily glared at him.

"No, Lills, sorry but I guess we're not", her mother replied.

James took a relieved look that no one but Albus noticed. As the boy looked at his brother confused two loud pops came from the kitchen, the only place in the house someone could apparate in. When Harry entered the room with Hermione he glanced at the kids.

"So you told them", he guessed from their faces.

As they walked in the living room, Ron noticed his wife's red eyes. She had been crying.

"Hermione? What happened?" he asked as Ginny too stared at her and then at Harry.

Hermione shook her head and sat next to Ron, placing her head in her hands.

"Mum, are you okay?" Rose asked.

"They burned it!" she whispered.

"What?" Hugo asked confused.

Harry sat on the arm of Ginny's chair and confirmed the terrible suspicion that had crossed her mind with a look.

"Hermione what are you talking about?" Ron asked, fear building inside him, but she had burst in tears again.

Ron turned to his best friend and the sadness in his eyes got him really scared.

"Your house..." Harry whispered, Ron's eyes widened and Lily took Hugo's trembling hand into hers. "We went back with reinforcement but...they weren't there and...and the Dark mark was everywhere and it was...burned...along with most of your belongings".

Before Ron could comprehend what he had just been told another loud pop came from the kitchen and Harry run in just in time to see his godson, Ted Lupin, collapsing on the floor.

Neville Longbottom is a teacher. He teaches Herbology at Hogwarts. His students were really fond of him because he was funny, because he never failed anyone and because it was said that he was one of the heroes of the Great Battle that had taken place in Hogwarts years ago. But school was over now. Neville however was already planning his course for the next year, but he was disappointed to find out that he needed the Minister's permission to bring some of the plants he wanted in the country. So that afternoon Neville was visiting the ministry of Magic.  
As he waited in the line for the receptionist, the man behind him gestured to his wife.

"Hey Anne isn't that Harry Potter?"

Neville turned to the hall to see a man with messy black hair walking fast towards the elevator. Yep, that was Harry Potter.

"Yeah I think it's him" the woman replied excitedly.

"Wow...he didn't look very happy".

Neville stared at the elevator where Harry had just vanished in concern. All the years he knew Harry Potter told him that he wasn't just not very happy; he was really and extremely pissed off.

Harry burst into his boss' office not even bothering to knock on the door. Matthias looked at him bewildered; never in all the years he had worked with him had he saw Harry so furious. Not at him least.

"What are you...?"

"You have all of these aurors in this office and you still can't stop a bunch of amateurs Death Eaters?" he said his voice rising in every syllable.

Matthias lost his words for a moment. Everyone outside the office was staring at them since Harry had left the door open.

"Harry", he started calmly understanding that yelling back at him wouldn't do him any good. "I know you're upset about what happened to Hermione but..."

"It's not just that! They ambushed my godson!"

"What?"

"Teddy! They ambushed him! He fought back but someone actually cast Sectumsembra on him! It's a wonder he managed to apparate home!"

"Harry, I'm so sorry",the man said shaking his head. "At least are you convinced now that you, Hermione and your families should go into hiding?"

"My family will go into hiding but I won't. I want in!"

"In?" Matthias repeated confused.

"No,no,no...I don't just want to be in", Harry rephrased his own words. "Make me charge of this whole operation! This joke has to end now!"

"Harry..."

"Make me charge, Matthias!" he insisted.

Matthias was ready to argue but then he stopped himself. This whole thing with the new Death Eaters was turning into a nightmare and Harry was without doubt the most capable auror he had and if someone knew Death Eaters that was definitely Harry Potter. He exhaled.

"If you're going to get into this you might as well learn everything about it".

"What do you mean?" Harry asked curious enough to forget to yell.

"It's about the thing you collected in Mexico", Matthias said in a low voice, noticing that some were still looking at them.

"What's that has to do with anything?"

"Close the door".

James knocked on the door and then walked in not waiting for an answer and carrying a tray with food. Teddy sat up with a sleepy look upon his face as the boy approached his bed.

"Hey, mum sends you this!" he said leaving the tray on his lap.

"It smells good", he replied spreading his arms carefully since his body still ached. "Thanks Jamie".

"Don't call me Jamie", the boy said shrinking his nose in dislike.

"Harry always calls you that all the time", Ted said dismissively.

"You sound just like Al. Just because dad does something doesn't mean that everybody should go with it".

"What's that suppose to mean?" asked Ted.

"Nothing", James replied shaking his head. "So, how are you feeling?"

"A little tired...I lost a lot of blood, but your dad healed my wounds perfectly, so I guess I'll stay here with you guys today and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to go back to work".

"Doesn't it feel weird? Getting healed by somebody else while you're a healer?"

"Well it could be but I don't think I was in state to understand it", he said and James laughed. "What about you kid? How are you dealing with this Death Eater thing?"

"I don't know", James shrugged. "All happened so quickly that I hadn't have time to consider things over".

"I hope those Death Eaters won't cause us any more problems".

"Yeah, you know I was really worried about you".

"Yeah right", Ted grinned ironically.

"Yeah...you know you've always been like a big brother to me and you've always helped me with stuff and I really, really love you and you were always there for me and..."

"James!" Ted cut in finally understanding where this was going. "What do you want?"

"WHAT? Is this the kind of person you think I am? Someone who would say nice things to you just to get what he wants?"

"Yes", Ted said tiredly.

"Ah, well you're right" the boy admitted shrugging. "I...well, here's the thing...I want you to talk to dad about something..."

"James, just know that whatever this is I'm not going to lie to my godfather".

"You won't be lying...just not telling the whole truth".

"James..."

"Just hear me out, man!" James said before he could continue. "It's about my band".

"The Alaska or whatever you guys are called?"

"It's Anasha and yes".

"What about it?" Ted asked curiously.

"Well...we got selected in the Teenage Battle of Bands!" James announced proudly and his face fell when Ted didn't get excited.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's the biggest summer festival in the whole magical world! It's the biggest opportunity ever! Weird Sisters actually signed their first contract after one of these shows!"

"Wow...it does sound big...well, congratulations kid, well done!"

"Thanks!" said James smiling broadly.

"So when is it?" Ted asked and the smile faded from the boy's lips.

"In two days from now", he replied.

"What?"

"Yeah and I was bummed because we would go on holiday and I  
had to convince dad to leave me here, but then Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione got attacked and we wouldn't go on holiday and I was really relieved, which by the way I think Al noticed, but then dad said that we should all go into hiding and now I don't know what..."

"James!" Ted yelled in order to stop him from mumbling. "Calm down, kid, will you? What do you want from me?"

"Well, I told you that dad wants us all to go into hiding and performing in frond of four hundredth people and thirty other bands doesn't actually agree with that. So, I thought that I can come to your flat for those days and go to the festival without dad knowing I was there", said James finally revealing his master plan and leaving Ted speechless for a few seconds.

"Look Jamie..."

"This means a lot to me Teddy, it really does!" James pleaded.

"I can tell and I'm sorry but besides the fact that I cannot lie to Harry, I think that he or your mother wouldn't even let you come with me under these circumstances", Ted said feeling bad for how frustrated the boy got, yet he went on. "Plus ,you said it yourself Jamie, performing in frond of all those people doesn't actually qualifies like hiding and those Death Eaters proved themselves really dangerous...I mean, look at me...look at Ron and Hermione, who were left without a home..."

They both went silent, James not making eye contact with him, but just when Teddy thought that the boy was going to start crying, he looked up and smiled.

"Okay, don't worry. Just do me a favour and don't say anything to anyone, especially..."

"Yeah, yeah I know, your father", Ted nodded as the boy stood

"Thanks for listening, Teddy", he said as he opened the door.

"Sorry I wasn't more helpful", Ted replied.

"Don't worry" James said and walked out. "I'm going no matter what", he added after he had closed the door behind him.

Ginny left Hermione to try and console her children over the loss of their house and most of their belogings and went out in search of her brother. She knew that he probably wanted to be alone, but she also knew that it would be best if he talked it out. She found him, sitting of the edge of the fence, with a far off look in his eyes. It wasn't until she spoke to him, that he even became aware that she was there.

"Hey", she said approaching him. "Are you okay?"

"I have to be", he sighed with a bitter smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You know that you guys can stay with us for as long as you want. I mean, the house is big enough for all of us".

"That's not the problem, Gin. Everything is gone, everything me and Hermione worked and fought for...our entire life got burned...just like that!" he exclaimed and Ginny was startled to see her brother's eyes welling up.

"I know Ron, but at least you're all fine", she said rubbing his back.

"Yeah...for how long?" he replied and Ginny shook her head.

"Don't say that".

"You saw what happened to Teddy, they almost got us too...those guys are not kidding Ginny and we..." he said but stopped when he saw the tears in his sister's eyes. "Gin, don't...I'm stupid, I don't know what I'm talking about, I'm just so bummed about our house that I'm being pessimistic, I shouldn't have..."

"No, Ron. You just said what I was thinking", she said, dabbing away the tears before they had a chance to fall.

"Ginny we made it the last time..."

"The last time I didn't have kids, Ron" she yelled.

"Ginny calm..."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Ron! Those lunatics are somewhere out there and my husband, my children; my whole family is their target!"

She didn't know how she had gone from consoling him, into yelling at him, but she didn't care. The stakes were too high this time, she couldn't deal with the possibility of something happenning to any of them.

"Ginny, you know that Harry won't let anything happen to them", Ron whispered wishing his best friend was there to reassure his sister.

"Yeah, but what if something happens to Harry?" she asked with a suddenly cold voice.

"Harry is strong Gin", Ron replied not even bothering to give another argument. "You know he's always gonna be okay in the end".

"You don't know that", she argued. "Just because he has survived everything so far, it doesn't mean that at some point, he's not going to run out of luck!"

"Ginny!" Ron said strictly. "This is going to end soon, I assure you!"

"Fine. Say that Harry and his precious aurors manage to stop the new Death Eaters, then what's going to happen?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked confused.

"Come on Ron!" she said indignantly, turning to face him. "Everybody knows that Matthias is resigning this year and who's going to replace him? And Harry is going to become head of the auror office and he's going to fight bad guys until he gets killed and..."

"Harry is an auror almost two decades now, Ginny. Did you just figure out that his job is dangerous?"

"No, Ron", she replied ignoring the irony in his voice. "I just wish he would let somebody else save the world for a change".

"Would you love him if he did?" he smiled and as she sighed Ron hugged her."I'm sure we're all going to be alright", he added and then looking at her he suddenly started laughing.

"What?" she asked annoyed.

"You're amazing, Ginny, you are. My house and most of my belongings got burned and yet you're the one who needs consoling!"

"Oh, shut up".

Ginny started running down the hall as fast as she could with a wounded leg. All the windows were broken and as she stepped in the living room she saw that most of their furniture was destroyed. A loud scream echoed from upstairs and the woman wished it didn't belong to anyone she loved but to one of the Death Eaters that had attacked their home.  
She looked around her for something that could help her fight since her wand was broken. Just as she walked towards the baseball bat Hermione's father had given to Hugo, a Death Eater stepped into the room and shot a curse at her. The curse lifted her in the air and send her right upon the opposite wall. She hit her head and her upper body really hard and as she dropped to her knees she felt blood running down her face.  
The Death Eater moved closer raising his wand to finish her but as he opened his mouth to say the killing curse a flash of red light hit him and he fell on the floor motionless. Harry run to his wife and helped her up. She was shaking but she couldn't help but notice the big wound on his left shoulder.

"Gin are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, are you?" she returned the question but he dismissed his injuries with a nod.

"Ginny, listen to me. Lil is in the kitchen, which I protected against Death Eaters as much as I could. Gin, I need you to take her and leave".

"No, I'm not leaving you, I'm not leaving the boys", she said shaking her head.

"Ginny you're hurt and you don't have a wand! Take Lily and go! I'll find the boys and follow", he said and pushed her towards the kitchen but she wouldn't move. "Ginny, please go!"

"No..."

"Gin, think of Lily!"

"I can't leave you Harry".

"Gin, I'm not going to die! Just go!"

"But I can't..."

"You have to! Now, go, please, I'm begging you!" he pleaded and she finally obeyed him.

She run to the kitchen and grabbed Lily. The girl was shaken and had a bruised eye but other than that she was alright. With Lily's hand into hers she was ready to apparate along with her, using her daughter's wand, when she heard loud screams. What make her heart froze was the fact that they were screams of excitement.  
She run back into the living room and for a moment she thought no one was there but then she saw him. She didn't control the scream that escaped her throat; it was like it belonged to somebody else. Harry Potter, her husband, the father of her children, the love of her life was lying on the floor drown in his own blood. She dropped beside him just as she heard Lily's scream from somewhere far away in spite the fact that she was standing at the door.  
Somehow he was still conscious and he managed to whisper her name as she placed his head on her lap. His trembling hands were pressed against his stomach, that's where the wound was. She ripped a part of her shirt off, wrapped it and pulling his hands away she pressured it on his wound. Tears run down her face as her hands filled with his blood.

"Gin", he whispered again.

"Don't talk", she said as she placed her palm on his forehead, her lips inches from his cheek. "It's gonna be alright, you're gonna be okay".

"Ginny...I'm cold", he said and the panic in his voice scared her more than everything. "I...I cannot feel my legs".

"No", she said her tears falling down on him. "No, you won't Potter. Don't you dare die on me...don't you dare leave me!"

She looked around for his wand...she could use a spell to stop the bleeding and then drug him in the kitchen and apparate at Saint Mungo's. But as she made to pull away in order to get the wand and make her plan come true he took a weak hold of her hand.

"Wait...don't go", he murmured his whole body shaking, his face white as paper.

He fixed his eyes on hers and the pleading in them made her sat still and also made her realize that he was going to die.

"I love you", he whispered and his head fell on the side, his eyes staring at nothing and Harry Potter was dead, leaving her back, still alive and swimming in his blood.

Ginny screamed as hard as she could and when she couldn't scream anymore she put her head in her hands and started sobbing into them, her whole body shaking, just like his did before he died. His vacant stare came back at her and she didn't notice immediately the warm hands that hugged her shoulders. When she finally did she jumped in shock and grabbed one of them, turning to face the owner.  
Harry was staring back at her alarmed just as her eyes widened in shock. She looked around her and realized that she wasn't lying in the living room floor but in her bed. Then she turned to face him again, her breath trembling, her eyes swimming in tears. She placed her hands on his face, feeling his skin against hers, and then she moved her right hand across his bare chest, feeling his heart, making sure it still pounded. Then she hugged him tight, never wanting to let go.

"It's okay Gin, it was just a bad dream", he said as he stroked her hair.

She finally relaxed in his arms and as they sat in silence she was listening to his heart beats, thanking God that it was only a nightmare.

"What did you see?" he asked when she finally let go of him.

She looked at the emerald eyes that she loved so much and the picture of him dead in her arms came back at her.

"I saw you", she replied, silent tears still running down her face.

"Was I so scary?"

"You died", she said and he sighed.

"Gin, I'm not going to die", he said and a sad smile appeared on her face.

"That's exactly what you said in my dream before you did".

"You can't think like that, my love. You're only torturing yourself", he said shaking his head and wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"I can't lose you".

"You won't...we're gonna make it through this...together", he said and kissed her lips softly.

She sighed and Harry hugged her again.

"Just know", she said looking up at him, "that I wouldn't make it without you".

He looked at her with a serious look on his face.

"Yes you would", he said and she sat up looking at him. "You'll have to...for Jamie, Al and Lily".

"Harry..."

"I know that it's probably not the right time for this but given the situation with the Death Eaters, I think we should make this conversation".

"What are you talking about?" she asked confused.

"Gin, if something happens to me..."

"You were the one who told me not to think like that! If I can't think like that, you can't either!"

"If something happens to me", he repeated without commenting her words, "I need to know that you'll be okay".

"Okay? I just had a nightmare of you dying and I was scared to death...you think that there's a way for me to be okay without you?"

"I'm not going to die", he repeated. "But if I do you'll be the only one to protect the kids".

"Fine", she said. "I'll promise that if something happens to you, I'll try and be strong for the kids, if you promise me the same thing".

"What?" he asked perplexed.

"Will you be okay and strong if I die?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"You're not going..."

"Will you?"

He looked at her. He couldn't imagine his life without looking at her face, without stroking her hair, without kissing her lips, without touching her skin, without caressing her body.

"I will", he responded and she nodded.

"Then I will too".

Harry was walking a big hall in the Ministry along with Hermione. He hadn't told her yet what Matthias told him, he just didn't know how. Plus he had to tell her that he was now charge of the Apostollo case. He opened his mouth to talk but Hermione beat him to it.

"You look really tired Harry", she said looking up from the papers she was holding.

"Yeah...Ginny and I didn't sleep at all last night" he replied and she laughed.

"You guys are unbelievable! All these things happening and still all you can think is how to grope each other as always!"

"What? No", he said shaking his head. "Ginny had a nightmare and it took me like forever to stop her from crying".

"Ginny...crying?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know, but I think these later events really shook her. I'm kind of concerned actually".

"I know it's strange...Ron told me she got upset yesterday when they talked in the garden" she said and Harry shook his head deep in concern.

Hermione suddenly burst into laughing out of nowhere.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Well...it just came back to me...remember when we watched the Titanic in my parent's house?" she said still laughing and Harry joined her.

"How could I forget?"

"Your wife must have been the only woman in the whole wide planet who didn't cry!"

"Instead she was outraged!"

"Yeah...because that stupid fake-redheaded couldn't move her butt just a little so that the fox would be saved as well!"

"Oh, you remember her words exactly!" he said.

"And Ron was trying to explain to her how romantic the movie was!" Hermione giggled.

"While he was crying his eyes out!" he said and they both roared with laughter.

"Okay, enough, my ribs hurt!" Hermione said after a while and she tried to suppress another outburst of laughter. "Still that makes it even harder to explain why Ginny is taking it so hard", she added and Harry became serious at once.

"I don't know...I mean yeah it's weird, but even before this whole Apostollo thing she was acting kind of strange", Harry said as he began walking again.

"Strange? What do you mean?"

"She just got irritated over nothing all the time".

"Well, that sounds like Ginny to me" Hermione said smiling. "You should know by now that the Weasleys have a nasty temper! She always gets irritated when Ron..."

"Yeah, Hermione, but she never did that with me! I mean I'm just realising that something is wrong", Harry said and stopped walking again.

"Oh, come on Harry. I'm sure it's nothing. It's not like she's acted like that before".

"Oh, she did act like that before, but that was back when she was..." Harry started but cut his sentence as he finally recognised the signs. "Oh, my God!" he said and closed his eyes.

"What?" Hermione asked alarmed.

Harry opened his eyes and smiled at her tiredly.


	3. Chapter 3:We might as well be strangers

Chapter 3 – We might as well be strangers

It was late in the afternoon and Molly and Arthur were at their daughter's home. They had been notified of the recent events only recently. They were stunned at the least, but their reaction was to be expected. After all it's not everyday that demons of the past come back to haunt you. Molly in particular was devastated upon hearing what happened to Ron and Hermione's house.

"Mom, come on!" Ginny said indignantly, while her mother sobbed on her shoulder. She had spent the better half of the last hour trying to stem her mother's tears, but the elderly woman seemed unconsolable.

"I can't believe they burned down their house!" she mourned. "What are they going to do now? They've worked so hard for everything! This is so unfair!" she went on and Ginny felt her own eyes welling up as well. She huffed exasperated and brushed the wetness away. Ginevra Molly Potter did not cry and her messed up hormones would just going to have to deal with that.

"Hey! I didn't realize you guys were here!" Rose said as she entered the kitchen, giving her grandparents a brilliant smile.

She purposely looked away from her grandmother, giving her time to wipe her tears and regain her composure. Rose was never good with consoling people; her mother said that was a treat she had gotten from her father, though even Hermione had to admit that her husband had improved his empathy skills over the years. Instead the girl went to hug her grandfather, who was all too happy to have one of his grandkids in his arms again. They were missing them almost as much as they had missed their own children, when they were at Hogwarts.

"Well, we hadn't seen you at all since you arrived last week", Arthur said. "We couldn't help it, we had to drop by and see you".

Albus walked in too after a few moments and a broad smile appeared on his face upon seeing his grandparents.

"I knew I heard voices from the kitchen!" he said as he hugged his grandmother.

Albus had a special place for his grandmother in his heart, all of them had really and Ginny often mocked her mom, telling her she was like the Mother Hen of their little herd.

"Oh, you've gotten tall Alby!" Molly said, her face finally breaking into a smile, only to be replaced by a disapproving frown moments later. "Yet you're too thin! Ginevra Potter aren't you making sure that your kids eat properly?"

"Oh, mom don't start!" the woman said rolling her eyes.

Molly had opened her mouth to retaliate, but they heard the front door opening and Ginny stood up, glancing at the clock. It was still early for her husband to be back and her hand subconsciously went at her wand, but then they heard Harry's voice from the hallway.

She sighed relieved, but the next moment a feeling of dread spead inside her. How easy it was to go back to their old habits, when even their own shadow was suspicious. The mere thought that her children were so close to learning what that was like was horrifying to her.

"GINNY! GINNY!" Harry yelled as he dropped his coat and his bag on a random chair and ran into the living room.

"We're in the kitchen" Ginny yelled, her husband's early return confusing her, almost as much as his over excited tone.

Harry walked in with a broad smile on his face. Ginny raised her eyebrows questiongly. He didn't only sound excited, he looked like it too, which was the exact opposite of the way he was when he left.

"Hey guys!" he greeted, nodding at his parents-in-law.

"Dad, are you okay?" Albus asked, noticing the drastic change in Harry's mood from this morning too.

"Yeah, I'm fine", he replied as Hermione entered the room behind him; she seemed to be trying to hide a grin and Ginny couldn't understand what could have possibly gotten the two of them so excited. "Ginny, can I talk to you?"

"Okay" she said uncertainly and followed him upstairs, after looking at Hermione for some explanation, but she just rolled her eyes and smiled, urging her to follow her husband with a wave.

"So, Ron isn't back from the shop yet?" Hermione said turning to face the others still in the room.

"No", Mr. Weasley replied. "What was that about?"

"Oh, you'll see!" beamed Hermione cryptically.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked as she closed the door of their bedroom and turned to face her husband, wondering whether someone had struck him with somekind of a Cheering Charm.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry inquired without losing his smile.

"Tell you what?"

"Gin, I know!" he said widening his eyes.

"Know what?" she asked looking at him both confused and alarmed. His over excited attitude was both scaring her and getting on her nerves.

"You know what!" he said mockingly.

"Potter, either you tell me right now what you're talking about or I'm hexing you!" she warned angrily.

"You mean you don't know?" Harry laughed.

"KNOW WHAT?" she yelled exasperated.

He grabbed her from the waist and lifted her in the air.

"Put me down you bloody lunatic!" she yelled as he was spinning her around.

"I'm so glad that I get to say it this time!" he said leaving her on the bed.

"Are you bloody mental?" she asked him.

"No", he smiled and bit his lower lip. "Gin...um...I think I know why you're so emotional these days".

"Wait, what?"

"You're pregnant!" he announced and she looked at him stunned.

"Huh?" she responded. "No, I'm not".

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not", she said standing up.

"Yes you are".

"No, I'm not!", she said outraged.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm..."she began but stopped.

How long was it since...?

"Oh, my God, I am!" she said bringing her hands to her mouth and Harry nodded still smiling broadly. "Oh my God!" she repeated and fell back on the bed. "I don't understand...I was taking the pill!"

"Well, it seems like you were forgetting it once and while".

"You think?" she barked back.

"Oh, come on, love! This is great news!" Harry said when she covered her face with her hands.

"No it's not! I...I can't be pregnant after twelve years and with Death Eaters on the loose!" she said indignantly, but he just smiled.

"We're gonna have a baby", he said and she threw a pillow at him.

He avoided it and sat next to her.

"Oh, this is so..." she started but as Harry kissed her she couldn't continue.

At first she just let him kissing her but as he moved his hand under her shirt and placed it on her belly, she finally gave in and smiling she kissed him back.

***

"Harry wait!" Ginny yelled chasing after her husband.

He looked up at her, already at the bottom of the stairs. She hadn't even comprehend the fact that she was pregnant yet and she could see that her husband was ready to announce it to the world.

"Can't we wait a bit before we tell them?" she asked him, but he frowned and she exhaled frustrated. "Or you can just tell everybody now", she said and he grinned again.

"Okay",he agreed.

She rolled her eyes and followed him.

"Where are Molly and Arthur?" Harry asked Hermione as he walked in.

"They just left, mate", Ron said coming from the living room.

Hermione was making Albus and Rose something to eat and only looked up when Ginny came in.

"So, is he right?" she asked her sister-in-law eagerly.

"I guess he is", she said shrugging and Hermione run to hug her with a squeal.

"What's going on?" Ron asked perplexed as he, Albus and Rose watched as Hermione, Ginny and Harry hugged each other.

"Well..." Harry started but he stopped as James entered the room.

"Dad, mum can I talk to you?" he said in a serious tone. Their son's unusually somber tone was enough to make Harry and Ginny look at each other questiongly and as the boy looked at them pleadingly, Harry motioned all three of them to the living room. Ginny gave Hermione a grimace to let her know that they could continue celebrating later and followed them.

James walked in behind his father and waited until his mother joined them, before closing the door.

He had found about a thousand ways to go to the festival, but they were all ridiculous. Besides that as much as he wanted to go, it just didn't feel right to lie to his parents - not about something so big anyway - so he decided to come clean with them.

"James, we have something to tell you", Ginny said smiling before James could start.

"I have something to tell you too".

"It's ok, you go first", his mother said.

"Ok. You know I love music and that I'm in a band", he said. "We managed to be selected into the Teenage Battle of Bands, which is a big music festival and I need to go".

"Oh...sure, honey, as long as the Death Eaters get out of the way you can..."

"No, mum, it's tomorrow. I have to go tomorrow", James stated.

"But...baby, it's too dangerous..." Ginny replied shaking her head.

"Yeah, but this is a chance in a life time! You always say that we should never turn our backs to our luck! Please, please let me go!"

Ginny, unable to respond to this, turned to her husband, who had stayed silent until then.

"Jamie", Harry started slowly. "I understand that this means a lot to you, but I cannot let you put your life in danger for that".

"That's not fair!" James shook his head.

"Jamie, I'm sorry, but your safety comes first. These people are dangerous" Harry said.

"Oh, so they're dangerous for me and not for you?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked perplexed.

"Does mum know that you're in charge of the Apostollo case?" James said looking at his mother.

"What?" she said looking from the one to the other.

"How do you know this?"

"IT'S TRUE?" Ginny yelled.

"Yeah it is" James answered before his father could. "And did you know that the aurors possess something the Death Eaters would do anything to have?"

"What?" Ginny asked again.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?"

"Some kind of an ancient book with powerful spells he found in a tomb in Mexico".

"You went through my stuff?" Harry asked shocked.

"You dropped your bag and the envelope fell down".

"AND YOU OPENED IT?" Harry yelled at the top of his voice and James took some steps back.

"Why is it dangerous for me and it's not dangerous for you?" he asked back, ignoring his father's last question.

"Your father is a trained auror, James" Ginny said deciding she would deal with her son now and yell at her husband later.

"I WANNA GO TO THE CONCERT!" James shouted ignoring his mother.

"Well, if there was any chance I would let you go, you just ruined it", Harry said outraged.

The boy though was as angry as he was.

"Why do I have to destroy my future because of your past?" James said shaking with anger and leaving Harry speechless for a while.

"JAMES!" Ginny yelled warningly.

"Listen to me son" Harry began with a low voice in spite the fact that he was even angrier than he had been when he burst in Matthias' office. "You're not allowed to go anywhere!"

"WHY?"

"Because it was bad enough that you were my son, now you know a secret every Death Eater would kill to know!"

"Oh, don't you worry daddy...I would never betray your little secret to the Death Eaters...I know how much your job means to you" James said in a slow, hurting voice.

"It's not my job I'm worrying about, it's you!"

"OH, REALLY? SINCE WHEN?"

"SINCE ALWAYS!" Harry yelled back. "You can't go because you put yourself in bigger danger when you went through my stuff!"

"I DIDN'T GO THROUGH YOUR BLOODY STUFF! THEY WERE ON THE FLOOR!" James screamed.

"The envelope was closed and you opened it, yes or no?" Harry asked.

"Yes but..."

"You had no right!"

"AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO STOP ME FROM GOING TO THE CONCERT!"

"I'M YOUR FATHER! I HAVE EVERY RIGHT!"

"Why do you want so desperately to ruin my life?" James asked tears of anger running down his face.

"James for God's sake!" Ginny said indignantly. "You life won't be ruined if you don't go to that silly concert!"

"IT'S NOT SILLY!"

"Don't yell at your mother!" Harry warned him.

"Fine then I'll yell at you!"

"JAMES!" Ginny screamed outraged.

"LET ME GO TO THE CONCERT!"

"ENOUGH!" Harry bellowed. "This conversation is over. You can't go!"

James looked at his father his eyes still watering, shaking with anger.

"I HATE YOU!" he shouted at his father's face and he run upstairs in his room, leaving Harry shocked and hurt.

***

Ginny opened the door of their room hesitantly. She just let him be for a while, but now she felt that he needed her. He was sitting on the bed with his back at her staring at the opposite wall.

"Harry?" she whispered uncertain as she climbed the bed. He didn't respond.

She crawled behind him and she putted her arms around him.

"Where is he?" he asked without looking at her.

"In his room", she replied, putting her hands on his cheeks and turning his face towards her.

He had tears in his eyes.

"He didn't mean it", she said reassuringly.

She was kind of worried that he would take it this bad; knowing Harry everything James had said probably brought out Harry's insecurities about whether he was a good father or not.

"It sounded like he meant it to me".

"He's fifteen...remember how you were like when you were fifteen?" she said and as he sighed she kissed his neck affectionately.

He looked at her.

"I'm going to have another child while I can't handle the ones I already have", he said and she laughed. "Gin, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, my love, you know that".

"Did I...did I ever neglected you...for my job?" he asked terrified.

She sighed; she was right, he was actually questioning himself.

"No, Harry, no", she responded shaking her head. "Harry, your work is demanding, we both know that, but you always managed to be here for us. You've given everything a father can give to our children Harry, don't ever think otherwise".

"James doesn't think so, does he?"

"Harry he was angry, he didn't know what he was talking about".

"I can't believe he opened the envelope", he said shaking his head.

"Well, I guess he took that from his dad", she smiled.

"What?"

"Curiosity", she replied and a small grin appeared on his face. "Why didn't you tell me you were on the Apostollo case?" she said calmly, deciding that she shouldn't get upset with him when he was so down.

"I couldn't find the right time", he responded, turning to face her properly.

"What about that book James was talking about?"

"That...that is something James shouldn't know. Hermione doesn't even know yet. At least he only knows about its existence and not what it can do...we wouldn't put that on paper".

"What is it about that book that makes it so dangerous?" she asked.

"Well...I did found it in a tomb in Mexico. It was protected with several spells but I managed to take it. It's written in an ancient magical language and the office hasn't translated it all yet, just some bits".

"Yeah, but why is it...?"

"From what they have translated it seems that it contains unknown spells..."

"Like Snape's potions book?" she interrupted him.

"No it's way worse. They're all spells of black magic and according to some parts of it; it contains a spell that...that can release a cursed,evil soul", he said slowly.

"Cursed, evil...what does that mean?"

"It means that if the Death Eaters lay their hands upon the book, if they manage to translate the spell and if it works...they can bring Voldemort back" he revealed and she brought her hands in her mouth frightened.

They both stared at each other's eyes and Ginny finally understood why he made her promise to be strong if he dies...he was planning to do anything in order to stop Voldemort from returning. At that moment in spite her shock and fear, she felt her heart bursting with affection for her husband and wanted nothing more than to attach her lips to his; she didn't get a chance to act on that impulse though. As the door burst open they both jumped.

"James left", Albus announced and they stood up simultaneously.


	4. Chapter 4:Suddenly EverythingHas Changed

**Chapter 4 - Suddenly Everything Has Changed**

"What do you mean left?" Harry asked, jumping on his feet.

Albus started mumbling something, but Harry didn't wait for an answer. He ran to his oldest son's room, with Ginny and Al following him.

The door was open but no one was inside. Harry looked around. The door of the closet was open too and James' backpack, some of his clothes, his broom and his guitar were missing. The window was broken. Harry grunted just as Albus and Ginny walked in and he turned to face them.

"Was he here when you came in before?" Harry asked Albus.

"No, I heard you guys fighting and I came to see if he was alright but he wasn't inside", the boy responded and Harry covered his face with his hands.

"How are we gonna find him?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Well, we know where he's going", Harry responded.

"But he said that this festival is tomorrow...where the hell is he going to spend the night?"

"What festival?" Albus asked but Harry waved his question off and hurried downstairs.

"Harry, what's going on?" Ron asked when he burst in the living room.

"Why were you yelling?" Lily asked but Harry only looked at Hermione.

"I'm going back at the Ministry...are you coming?"

"Why what happened?" Hermione asked alarmed as Ginny and Albus walked in.

"James has ran away" he replied and they looked at him shocked.

"What?" Lily whispered looking at her father bewildered.

"Hermione will you come?" Harry demanded and she nodded standing up.

"I don't understand", Ron said looking at Harry and Ginny. "Why would he run away?"

"Ginny will tell you Ron. Hermione come on, we have to go. We have to find him before the Death Eaters do".

***

James had used his broom to reach as far as he thought safe from his house but then he chose to walk, since he was certain that he would be an easy target in the air, plus Muggles could see him. Now however he had stopped walking and he was sitting under a tree in an unknown park.  
He had absolutely no idea where he was or how to get to the festival but he chose not to deal with it at the moment. When his anger was boiling inside him everything seemed simple and running away seemed like the best option, but now...now fear was taking over. Where would he go? What if Death Eaters found him or worse if his father did? He couldn't use magic without getting traced and he left in such a hurry he didn't take any money with him.  
He sighed and stood up; sitting there wouldn't do him any good. He walked drugging his broom and his guitar while he wondered how weird would Muggles find him if they saw him. He should have planned this better. He should have taken some Muggle money with him and his father's invisibility cloak...but just as this thought formed in his mind he pushed it away. He didn't want anything from his father because his father didn't care. He didn't care about him...no, all he cared about was that stupid book and that Apostollo, all he cared about was his job, not him, never him.

***

Harry managed to alert the entire auror office in about half an hour. All kind of aurors, from the most experienced ones to the new recruited where dealing with young Potter's disappearance. Usually other departments were dealing with kids who run away, but they all wanted to help Harry, plus no one was brave enough to argue with him when he was that upset.  
Matthias was watching Harry from his chair as the man was pacing up and down his office. Matthias was an auror for the biggest part of his life but now he had to admit that he had absolutely no idea how to calm Harry down, he didn't even know how to talk to him, so he was kind of glad that Hermione was there too.

"Harry stop pacing up and down, you're going to open a hole in the floor!" the woman said and he turned to look at her.

"Why haven't they tracked him down yet? Why is this taking so long?"

"Harry, you've already asked me about a million times and as I told a million times before..."

"Hermione!"

"James is underage, he has the Trace on him, but so do thousands of underage witches and wizards and since he hasn't use any magic they can't track him down immediately...first they must separate his Trace from the others, then they must run a few tests to make sure it's his and then finally locate him" Hermione explained again in the cute know-it-all way she only knew how to use.

"But the Death Eaters can't track him right?" he asked once again, but as Hermione began answering that the Death Eaters didn't even know that James had run away, the door opened and a beautiful woman walked in.

She had black, piercing eyes and pale blonde hair that went all the way down to her waist; she looked like she was in her late twenties.

"They send me to tell you that the search isn't complete just yet", she said and Harry grunted.

"Thank you Artemis" Matthias nodded.

"Come in Artemis, don't stand at the door", Hermione said and the woman walked in, closing the door behind her. "Harry do you know Artemis?"

"No", he said indifferently.

He knew what Hermione was doing. She brought that unknown woman in so that Harry would be embarrassed to unleash his fury that they haven't locate his son yet in front of her.

"He couldn't have", Matthias said. "He was at Mexico when she came to work for us".

Harry looked at his boss exasperated...Matthias was playing along.

"I was really looking forward to meet you Mister Potter...I've heard so much about you!" the girl smiled stretching out her hand.

Harry was boiling inside but he felt sorry for the girl, it was the others that were using her after all, so he shook it.

"Artemis came here from...what was it again?" Hermione asked smiling and received a murderous look from Harry.

"Oh, Germany...Munich" she replied. "I was working as an auror there, but I guess now I'm with you guys".

"Yeah, nice to meet you", Harry said quickly without smiling. "Did anyone tell you why is this taking so long?"

"No, but I guess it's difficult to separate someone's Trace from all the others", she replied shrugging and Hermione looked at Harry raising her eyebrows and he just fell back on a chair.

He looked out of one of Matthias' magical windows. The Ministry was an underground facility and had magical windows, which could depict whatever kind of weather the owner wanted them to, yet Matthias had adjusted his own windows to show exactly what normal windows would at the moment. So as Harry looked out of one of them he knew that it was dark outside...

***

James was walking an empty street. He was getting kind of tired from carrying his broom, his guitar and his backpack but he would resist the temptation and he wouldn't use magic...he knew that they'd found him within seconds if he did. He had asked some Muggles and he had been informed that there was a bus station nearby. He didn't know what he would do with money but he figured he should first get there and worry about that then.  
He couldn't help thinking that this was a terrible mistake. He didn't know how to get to the festival and besides that as his anger was leaving him, somewhere inside him he felt like a big wave of remorse was ready to take over. He had pushed his relationship with his father to the very edge or even down the cliff. He didn't want to, but he kept thinking was his father's face when he told him...he told him...How would he take that back? But every time his thoughts came to this, he blocked them out. If his father really cared about him, he'd have let him go to the concert. So since he didn't care why should James feel guilty?  
It had gotten dark and in spite of himself he was getting worried. Where the hell would he spend the night? He kept glancing behind his shoulder...he didn't want to admit it but he was kind of scared that Death Eaters would find him...but then again his father with the entire auror office behind him still hadn't, how would they? He had just finished that thought in his mind when he heard a noise behind him. He turned but there was nothing but the empty street behind him. He told himself that he was getting paranoid and kept walking faster than before.  
Soon he found that bus station. He was relieved to see there was a bus waiting. Finally, something was convenient...

***

"Ginny, calm down!" George said watching his little sister pacing up and down in her living room.

When he decided he should bring his kids to see their cousins he never expected that.

"Don't tell me to calm down! My son is missing!" she said angrily.

"I know Gin but it's only a matter of time before Harry finds him".

"What if he doesn't?"

"Oh, come on Ginny, a person can't just disappear", Ron put in. "He will find him".

"Yeah, he's a kid not a dog, which is kind of weird when you look at his parents", George said smiling only to receive a sharp look and a grunt from his sister.

"Ron, do you think you can contact Hermione with that mirror and..."

"I already tried Gin, she's not answering".

"Why isn't she answering? What if something bad happened?" Ginny asked looking at her brothers.

"No, Gin I'm sure she's busy, that's all".

"That or he doesn't want to see Ron's face".

"Shut up".

"You both shut up!" Ginny said indignantly.

As she looked at them angrily however she felt dizzy and for a moment everything became a blur and if George didn't grabbed her she would have fallen down.

"Gin, are you ok?" Ron asked jumping out of his armchair as George helped her sit on the couch.

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy, that's all" she replied closing her eyes. "Don't worry, it's normal".

"No, it's not" George said shaking his head. "Maybe we should alert Teddy".

"What? No,no you guys I'm fine".

"Gin..."

"Oh, but you don't know!" she said finally smiling.

"What?" Ron asked perplexed.

"I'm pregnant", she announced and they looked at her stunned.

"Are you kidding?" Ron said finally. "Is that why you guys were hugging before? Damn! No one tells me anything anymore!"

"That's great sis", George said smiling. "You really have dehydrated that husband of yours, huh?"

"Oh, that's...that's disgusting!" Ron said shaking his head. "Mum doesn't know, does she? She's gonna be so excited that she's gonna have another grandchild!"

"Yeah, I know", Ginny said. "I just wish that a certain other grandchild of hers is okay right now".

***

"So it's okay I don't have any money?" James asked the bus driver.

"Sure, come on up boy", he said not looking at him but looking straight forward in the empty street.

James glanced inside the bus. There were nine other passengers inside it, for some reason they didn't strike him like ordinary Muggles.

"Won't your other passengers have objections if I ride the bus for free?" James asked the bus driver.

"Do you want to ride the bus or not boy?"

"I..." James stammered not so sure what he should answer.

He glanced at the passengers once more. Something just didn't feel right but he couldn't place it.

"I don't. Thanks though", he said making the driver to turn and look at him at last.

James was taken aback from the driver's scared face. His father's lightning bolt was nothing compared to the huge wound across that man's left cheek.

"Sorry" the boy said and started walking fast towards the opposite direction, he wanted to get as far as possible from that disgusting spectacle.

"Wait a minute boy".

James turned. The bus driver had gotten off the bus and was walking towards him. James noticed that the other passengers had left their seats.

"What do you want?" James asked drawing his wand.

"Isn't it obvious, boy? You", said the bus driver smirking and when he did James finally recognised him.

***

"Mister Potter!" shouted the young auror that burst into Matthias' office. "We located your son".

"See I told you they would separate his Trace eventually" Hermione smiled as Harry jumped up from his seat.

"No, no, we didn't" the auror said.

"What?" Matthias asked. "Then how did you find him?"

"He used magic".

"Why would he use magic? He would know that we'd find him immediately" Hermione wondered perplexed.

"Maybe that's what he wants", Matthias said as he watched Harry grabbing his stuff.

"Or maybe he had no choice", Harry said and rushed out.

***

Normally when some of their cousins came to visit Albus and Lily were really excited but now all they did was bid a hello to them and then sit silently in Albus' room. Nothing could take their minds off the fact that their big brother had run away. Albus was looking out of the window in the dark night, wondering where James could be, while Lily brushed Rose's hair absent minded and Hugo played magical chess with F.  
Roxanne and F were Uncle George's kids. Roxanne was named after one of her grandmothers and F after Uncle George's dead twin brother, but nobody ever called him Fred, it just made everyone sad, so they all called him F. Roxanne was fifteen and F was a year younger than Albus and a year older than Lily, he was thirteen. They were both redheads, but Roxanne had her mother's beautiful dark blue eyes, while F had his father's eyes...and attitude.  
Albus sighed and looked away from the window to Roxanne. She was lost in thought as well. From all their Weasley cousins Roxanne was the only one who was in the same age as James, she also was one of his best friends, so Albus knew she was almost as worried as he was.

"Did you know?" he asked Roxanne suddenly and she looked up.

"Know what?"

"About that festival" Albus said and everybody else in the room looked at her.

She bit her lower lip with a sheepish look on her face.

"You knew, didn't you?" Lily gasped widening her eyes.

"Yeah, well, I did...but I wouldn't...if I knew what he was going to do..."

"No one blames you, Roxie", Rose said giving Albus a sharp look, which he ignored.

"Where's that thing taking place anyway?" Albus asked Roxanne.

"Edinburgh as far as I know".

"He's never gonna make it there", Lily said shaking he head as she sat next to her brother.

"Of course he's not gonna make it there...your dad will find him soon enough", F said as he considered his next move in chess.

"I hope he's alright", Lily sighed.

"He's gonna be fine", Roxanne said trying to reassure Lily and herself. "He can take care of himself".

"It's one thing to fight stupid Slytherins and a whole another to fight Death Eaters", Lily pointed out.

"And why is that?" Rose smiled. "Death Eaters were Slytherins".

"That's not fair Rose" Albus said refusing to laugh with the others. "There are exceptions".

"Oh, yeah? As I recall though Al you were terrified that you're gonna get sorted in Slytherin" Hugo smirked.

"I changed my mind...I have friends in Slytherin".

"You mean that Malfoy kid?" Roxanne asked taking the same expression James took when Albus brought it up.

"Well, the truth is he's a good kid", Rose said and Roxanne looked at her exasperated.

"His father was a Death Eater! He could be Apostollo for all we know!" she yelled.

"What does it matter? Even if his father is Apostollo, which I don't think is true, what does that has to do with Scorpius? Kids are not always what their parents are nor should they try to be".

"Oh, is that why every time somebody tells you, you look like your dad you're beaming with pride?" Roxanne said and Albus looked at her outraged.

"Who died and made you James?" he said before he could stop himself but he regretted it.

Roxanne turned away from him, clearly too irritated to respond, but the worst was the fact that Rose started crying.

"Rosie I'm sorry...I..."

"You shut it" Lily said angrily, sounding just like their mother, as she hugged Rose's shoulders, which made Albus comply immediately. "It's gonna be alright, Rosie".

"No, it's not", she said between sobs. "Everybody says that...but...but we lost our house and...and James left...and we were supposed to be having fun during our holidays...and now it's all turning into a nightmare...and I don't...I'm scared that someone is gonna get hurt..."

"Rose nobody is gonna get hurt", F said from the floor.

"Yeah, Rosie it's gonna be okay", Lily added rubbing her back as she watched from the corner of her eye her brother and Roxanne looking in different directions.

"He's not gonna die", Roxanne said after a while and Albus turned to look at her.

"I never said he will", he whispered. "He's my brother...I love him...I just hope he's okay".

***

The boy was scared. He was hiding in a small alley behind the garbage and he could hear them yelling and laughing and getting closer and closer. He managed to run away from them using some defensive spells but they followed him and he dropped his broom, so he couldn't fly away.

"Boy, where are you?" yelled one of them mockingly. "Come out and play".

His voice was really close, he could be just some meters from the alley. James closed his eyes and pulled his legs close to his chest. How did they find him so quickly? How would he get out of this one? He had a knack in getting in trouble but it was never that bad.  
He almost jumped out of his hiding place when he heard twelve loud pops, the one after the other. Someone had just apparated close by. He could hear a bunch of different voices yelling and then the flash of spells lighten the alley and he knew there was a fight happening close to him. From all the voices that yelled spells together, he managed to make out one that made his heart come to its right place.

"Dad", he whispered relieved under his breath and clutching his wand he crawled out of the garbage.

As he stood up he saw that the fight was taking place in the middle of the street right in front of him. He could see his father and his aunt as they stunned and disarmed Death Eaters. He sighed, since they were here he had nothing to fear, did he?

"Hello boy", he heard a voice from behind him.

He turned and saw the scar-faced man but he didn't even manage to raise his wand before his spell hit him right in the chest.

***

A young Death Eater fell in Harry's legs hit by a full-body binding curse and Harry looked around. They outnumbered the Death Eaters and in few seconds his aurors would won. By bringing those Death Eaters into custody they would find out some things about Apostollo, but at the moment Harry couldn't care less about that. Where was James? Since it was his Trace they've followed he had to be somewhere close, yet he couldn't see him anywhere. Where was James?  
Hermione stunned a woman right next to him but a Death Eater was aiming at her from behind. Harry managed to stupefy him though before he could make a spell. The Death Eaters still fighting were right about three, but soon they'd...

"STOP!"

Harry turned to look who yelled and his heart sank just as his eyes widened. A man, a very familiar man had just stepped out from the opposite alley. It was Dolohov. Harry fought him last year when he escaped Azkaban, actually he was the one who made the scar in his face, but he had managed to get away.  
Although it wasn't Dolohov that scared Harry to death. No, it was the fact that he was carrying the unconscious body of his son in his arms. Harry lowered his wand as the man approached. The fight had stopped.

"Let go of my son", Harry said warningly.

"You're in no position to give orders, Potter", the man said. "Tell your people to lower their wands".

Harry looked at Hermione and nodded and all the aurors around them did as they were told. The Death Eaters that still stood helped the ones who were on the ground stand, just as Dolohov made the bus come close to them, without anyone actually driving it.

"Give me my son back!" Harry demanded but Dolohov just smirked.

"Smart kid...wouldn't get on the bus" he said nodding at it.

"What did you do to him?" Harry asked as he stared at James' face, looking for possible injuries.

"Just a little sleeping spell...nothing compared to what we're gonna do to him next!"

"You son of the..."

"No, no, no" Dolohov interrupted Harry's swearing, pointing his wand at the boy's head. "Just a word, Potter, just a move and I swear I'll kill him right in front of you, I swear you'll watch your son die".

"If you do, you'll fall dead the next second", Hermione yelled gesturing to all the aurors around her.

"Yeah, maybe, but that it's not gonna bring the boy back, will it?" he smiled and then gestured the Death Eaters on the bus.

"Give me my son!" Harry demanded again.

"No, we like him, I think we're gonna keep him as a pet", he said taking some steps towards the bus. Harry raised his wand.

"Let go of him, NOW!" he yelled but Hermione grabbed his wand clutching hand.

"No, Harry, he's gonna do it, he's gonna kill him", she said terrified.

"Listen to the Mudblood, Potter. I am going to do it! Lower your wand!"  
Harry had no choice but to do as Dolohov said.

The bus was filled with injured Death Eaters now and Dolohov climbed the first step still holding James.

"Say goodbye to your son, Potter, I rather doubt that you're gonna see him again", the man said smiling and he stepped in the bus.

They saw him through the windows placing the unconscious boy in a could do nothing but watch as the bus started moving away from them. He could do nothing but watch as the Death Eaters were getting away with his son as their winning trophy. The bus disappeared in thin air and Harry could only stand there, shaking with tears, looking dazed at the spot where the bus disappeared. They took his son. He fell on his knees. A part of his heart was on that bus and he could do nothing to take it back...his son.


	5. Chapter 5 - Locked Up and Tied Down

Chapter 5 – Locked Up and Tied Down

Hermione was kneeling next to Harry, holding his hands in hers. They had apparated back to the Ministry and the other aurors had left to make their reports about what had just happened; yet Harry and Hermione went straight to Matthias. Hermione told him what happened while Harry kept his head buried in his hands. Matthias was looking at him full of sympathy and pity. No matter what Hermione was saying to calm him down, they all knew that things were really, really bad. They had no idea where the Death Eaters took the boy, they had no idea how to look for them and they had no idea how to save James.

"They're gonna kill him, aren't they?" Harry said shakily without looking up.

"No, I don't think they will" Hermione answered shaking her head; she had tears in her eyes. "If they wanted to kill him, they would have done it".

Harry raised his head and looked at her; there were tears glistering in his eyes, even if he had yet to let them drop.

"You heard what he said...he said they're gonna do bad things to him, that I'm never gonna see him again".

"Harry, we're gonna find him", she said but he only shook his head and placed his head in his hands again.

He was desperate.

"This is my entire fault", he whispered. "They're going to hurt him and it's my fault".

"What? No, Harry, how is it your fault?" Hermione asked, squeezing his hands.

"If I hadn't been so stubborn, if I had just let him go to that stupid concert..."

"Harry, you only did what you thought right", Matthias said. "You couldn't know what James was gonna run away".

"So you're saying it's my son's fault?" Harry asked looking at him with aggravation.

"No, I didn't say..."

"Harry, it's nobody's fault", Hermione said and Harry looked at her.

"How am I gonna tell Ginny? How am I gonna tell her that I lost our son right through my hands?"

"We're gonna do it together", Hermione said reassuringly but Matthias shook his head.

"No, Harry you can't leave...what if they make contact?" he said.

"Why would they make contact?" Hermione asked perplexed.

"You said it yourself Hermione, if they wanted to kill the boy they would have done it...instead they kidnapped him...and kidnappers usually make contact", Matthias explained and Harry nodded.

Then he turned and looked at Hermione, pleading with his eyes. The woman sighed and nodded.

***

Hermione apparated home half an hour later. She stayed in the kitchen waiting for the others to come and find her. She knew that this was going to be one of the most difficult and hard things she ever had to do for Harry...telling Ginny her son was kidnapped by Death Eaters.

She didn't wait for long. Ginny stormed in, followed by Ron and George.

"What happened? You've found him? Is he okay?" Ginny asked quickly.

Hermione didn't know how to tell her. She just looked at her, trying to prevent her tears from running down her face, but he couldn't quite manage it.

"Hermione, what happened?" the woman demanded watching her crying.

Ginny could feel her heart thumping violently against her chest. If something had happened to James...

"Hermione, where's my son?"

Ron went close to his wife, placing his arm around her. She looked at him.

"What happened?" he whispered and Hermione lowered her head.

She couldn't say it, she just couldn't.

Ginny grunted losing her patience. She pushed Ron away and grabbed Hermione from the shoulders.

"Where's my son?" she asked her.

"We located him", Hermione started finally.

"That's a good thing, right?" George asked perplexed.

"The Death Eaters found him first", she said and Ginny's eyes widened in shock.

She shook Hermione.

"What happened to him? You saved him, right?" she demanded. "He's not...he can't be...Hermione, tell me my son isn't dead!"

"Gin..." Hermione whispered looking at her terrified eyes.

"WHERE'S MY SON, HERMIONE?"

Ron grabbed Ginny's hands and pulled her away from Hermione.

"Ginny, calm down!" he yelled, and then he turned to Hermione. "Honey, can you please tell her that James is okay?"

"I..." Hermione stammered looking in her husband's blue eyes. "I can't".

"Where's my son?" Ginny repeated again, tears running down her eyes.

"We fought the Death Eaters, but...Dolohov...remember Dolohov?  
He...he..."

"What?" George asked.

"He had James, so we couldn't curse him...he'd kill him if we did. The Death Eaters got away..."

"That's what this is all about?" George said rolling his eyes. "The Death Eaters got away? So what?"

Hermione looked straight into Ginny's eyes.

"What do you mean 'he had James'? What happened to my son?" she asked as tears continued running down her face.

"The Death Eaters took him with them", she said and Ginny kept looking at her trying to comprehend what she just said.

"What?" Albus said from the door.

Ron and George turned to look. Albus, Lily and Roxanne were standing at the door, all looking shocked at Hermione just like Ginny did.

"James was...was captured?" Roxanne asked with a trembling voice.

"Roxie, we'd better go", George said taking his daughter's hand but she shrugged it off.

"No, I want to know what happened to my best friend".

"And I want to know what happened to my brother", Albus added but he didn't had the chance to get a proper answer since his mother collapsed on the floor.

"Ginny!" Ron yelled kneeling beside her, as Hermione brought her hands to her mouth.

***

It was late in the morning when Harry returned home. He had spend the entire night in the Ministry but Matthias noticed how exhausted he was and made him go home, promising that he would alert him immediately if anything happened.  
Harry apparated in their kitchen and just stood there for a few moments, feeling terribly sick. It wasn't the fact that he had stayed up all night that had exhausted him. It was the constant waiting, the constant crave for news, for something that would tell him that his son was okay and then the disappointment. He couldn't feel the pain he felt last night though, he just felt numb and he felt like everything was just a stupid dream of his...yet he couldn't wake up...why couldn't he wake up?

"Harry?" Ron said hesitantly as he came into the room.

Harry looked up. His best friend was looking at him like he was a ghost and Harry could only assume he looked terrible.

"Any news?" Ron asked not commenting on Harry's pale face and red swollen eyes.

"Nothing", the man responded shaking his head. "Where's Ginny?" he asked and Ron bit his lower lip.

"When Hermione told her about James...she fainted", Ron said and Harry looked at him alarmed.

"Is she okay? Where is she?"

"Upstairs...we left her sleeping but she could be awake by now" Ron said and Harry nodded.

Then he closed his eyes trying to gather what energy he had left; he didn't want Ginny to know exactly how desperate he was feeling, he didn't think she could handle it.

"Harry..." Ron said slowly but stopped.

What would he say? He ought to console him as his best friend and his brother-in-law, but he didn't know how. Harry however just patted his shoulder and passing him left the room and went upstairs.  
He stopped outside their bedroom's door. He closed his eyes again and tried to calm his breath and lose the worried expression he carried since last night. He took a deep breath and opened the door.  
Ginny was in the bed covered with a blanket, with her back at him and he could only see the top of her head. He understood though that she was awake, her breath was too fast. He sat at the edge of the bed and looked at her back trying to figure out what to say to her, but she spoke first.

"Tell me you've found something...anything", she whispered shakily.

"Gin..." he started hardly knowing how to go on, so he just placed a hand on her back.

She let out a sob and then turned, sat up and hugged him. Her face was even paler than his and her eyes were watering. She hadn't stopped crying yet from last night. Harry held her body tight close to his and kissed her forehead.

"You think he's still alive?" she whispered and even as she asked him, he felt the shiver going through her body.

"Yeah", he said shaking his head. "If they wanted to kill him they would have done it there; in front of me".

"What do they want?"

"I don't know...but James...James is gonna be okay...I'm gonna find him", Harry told her, saying his son's name with difficulty; it hurt too much when he did.

She got out of his arms and looked at him.

"How? You don't even know who the master of this thing is".

"Ginny listen to me...I will find him...I will find him even if I have to turn this whole world upside down!" he said looking deep into her eyes. "I just want one thing from you".

"What?"

"I need you to take care of our baby", he said looking at her belly. "Ron told me you fainted. Just try and stay calm, think of the baby".

"I don't want another child if I don't have James!" she yelled and she covered her face with her hands.

Harry hugged her again and she sobbed in his chest.

"Please, please stop crying my love, you're gonna hurt the baby. Don't worry, we're gonna have our son back soon".

***

James woke up and for a few minutes he was just staring at the ceiling above him without realising he wasn't home. He had a terrible headache...maybe he had to ask for a painkiller from his mum.  
And then it all came back at him...the awful fight with his father, how he had ran away, the Death Eaters...the Death Eaters! He sat up really fast and he got dizzy. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them he looked around.  
He was lying on the floor of a small, empty and dirty cell. It had no windows and the light was coming from candles that hung in the corners. The door was opposite him. He looked at it. He guessed that it was locked but it wouldn't hurt giving it a try. He got up slowly and walked towards it. He was only a meter away from it when his right leg was pulled backwards and he fell down. He turned and was terrified to see that there was a thick chain around his ankle he hadn't noticed before, that went all the way to the opposite wall. He was tied up like a dog.  
He searched in his clothes for his wand but it wasn't there, so he tried to free his leg from the chain with his hands, but no matter how much he tried to pull his led out, he couldn't. Then despair came and the more he tried to free his leg the more desperate he got. He gave up and then the questions came.  
Where was he? What happened? Did the Death Eaters take him? Probably, by the looks of it. Why didn't his father save him? He was there, James saw him. Why did he let them capture him? Maybe he had no choice...or maybe he didn't want to save him. No, that was stupid. He would have saved him if he could. Wouldn't he? Maybe he wouldn't. James wouldn't blame him if he didn't want a son who had told him that he hated him. But what was going to happen now? What if his dad didn't come to save him this time either? What would he do? Would he stayed there until he died or until they killed him? But no, these thoughts were stupid...his dad would come. Wouldn't he? James grunted to himself indignantly. These thoughts were torturous; he had to stop thinking like that.  
He heard voices approaching and then keys on the door. He hurried up and wiped the tears from his face just as the door opened. The bus driver, dressed now in a Death Eater robe, walked in followed by four other Death Eaters. The boy just glared at him aggressively as he smirked at him.

"I know you've been here for like seven hours now but I still wanted to welcome you and all", he said smiling.

The smile made his wound even more disgusting; like his face would just open up in half if he kept on smirking for a minute more.

"Where am I?" James asked.

"You're in our Headquarters...you're actually the guest of honour...our master is really glad you're here".

"Apostollo?" the boy asked shrinking his nose in contempt.

"Yes, Apostollo", the man nodded. "See I have orders to welcome you and offer you a bargain".

"A bargain?" the boy repeated perplexed.

"We will let you go if you join our forces".

"Are you insane?"

"Me? No...Apostollo though is a little bit".

"I'm never gonna join you. Why do you want me to anyway? I'm not even sixteen yet; what do I have to offer to you?"

"Only your father's torturing and despair", the man said smiling and James shook his head outraged.

"You can go to that Apostollo and tell him to go to hell and to take you with him...Just leave me alone!" the boy said and the man's smile broadened.

"I told Apostollo it was a long shot. You're so like your father...so naive, so stupid..."

"Stupid?" the boy repeated. "How can you call someone else stupid? Have you looked in the mirror?"

The man pulled his wand from his robes and pointed it right into James' chest. The boy took some steps back.

"You know it was your father who scarred my face".

"I know", the boy responded, his back on the wall.

"No wonder then why I'm gonna enjoy this so much. You're just too like him for your own good".

The boy looked at the wand that was aiming at him, feeling his heart pounding hard. He was terrified but just as the man raised his wand to form what the boy knew would be the cruciatus curse something completely irrelevant came to his mind. This was the very first time someone resembled him with his dad.

"Crucio!"

The pain that hit the boy was unbearable. He collapsed on the floor while he felt like his bones were melting and his blood was boiling. He screamed harder than he ever had in his life wishing that the Death Eaters could just kill him, kill him and take the pain away. The pain stopped just as suddenly as it had come. James was lying on the floor, shaking, taking deep breaths and watching the scar-faced man above him smile broadly as he was relishing the image of the broken boy at his legs.  
Another Death Eater moved forward taking his mask off. James sat up shakily and looked at him. He was as old as Dolohov, so the boy assumed he was one of Voldemort's followers twenty years ago and not one of the new Death Eaters.

"I was there you know, child", the man said. "The night Voldemort came back...I was there and watched as he tortured your father...and Dolohov and I were both there when your father killed him...well, sort of speech".

"And you will be there when my father kills Apostollo and all of you", they boy yelled and the Death Eaters laughed.

"We will see about that", Dolohov said. "See Yaxley? I told you the boy is as cheeky as his daddy".

"Yeah I can see that", responded the other man called Yaxley, and then with a wave of his head all the five Death Eaters pointed their wands at the boy on the floor. "You should learn some manners, child", he said and James closed his eyes waiting for the excruciating pain to come once more.

He didn't wait for long...

***

Harry had told Ginny that they would have their son back soon. However time went by faster than Harry had ever dreamed it could and before he even knew it, a week had gone by and they still had no clue to lead them to the boy. It was like James had disappeared from the face of the earth. Ginny had gotten completely desperate and Harry couldn't help but feeling like that himself. A week with no clue of where their son was, if he was okay...if he was still alive; they didn't even know that.  
And like this wasn't enough, somehow the whole story had gotten to the press. The Daily Prophet had sold a thousand of copies when it revealed that Harry Potter's son was captured by an unknown group. Thankfully they didn't know anything about Apostollo or the Death Eaters or people would be way more shocked and scared than they were now. Because everyone was scared and even panicked. If Harry Potter, the hero, the legend, couldn't protect his son against that group, how would normal people protect their families? Reporters were waiting for Harry every time he went to the Ministry and every time he left it, something the man was finding really irritating. He felt like they were playing with his pain, trying to make a headline from his son's abduction. He seriously thought that some of these days he's gonna snap and hex them back to where they came from.  
At least he and Ginny had their family and friends to support them. They were all there on their side. Bill and Fleur actually abandoned their holidays in France and came back to England with their kids for them. Molly though was the most supportive one. She had actually moved in their house to watch over her daughter, since she learned she was pregnant, something Harry was really grateful for, since he felt guilty leaving Ginny behind, alone with the kids in her situation, almost for the entire day when he was at the Ministry.  
Teddy had confirmed medically what they already knew, that Ginny was pregnant, something the entire Potter-Weasley family soon found out, to Ginny's great dismay. She just seemed to hate it every time someone congratulated her and Harry could understand why. She didn't want to have a reason to be happy with her son missing.  
As Harry sat at the balcony late at night looking at the dark blue summer sky above him, he could only think of how different things would have been if it wasn't for Apostollo. They'd been on their holidays, together and they would all be thrilled just as he was in the beginning for the arrival of a new person in their family. Now...now he still wanted the baby, but it was hard to be excited, they weren't together and he spend all of his day in the Ministry. Now one of his kids was missing.  
Harry closed his eyes and the last words his son had said to him came back to haunt him once more. He could still hear his outraged voice telling him he hated him, he could still see his angry face looking at him indignantly and instead of himself he kept thinking that yelling at each other may be the last thing they did together. But every time a thought like that was forming in his head, he pushed it away. No, James would be okay. James wouldn't...die. He had to come back and Harry had to find him and they had to fix things between them. It wasn't always like this; there was a time he was really close to James.

 _*Flashback starts*_

Harry could still remember the day of his son's tenth birthday. Teddy had agreed to take him along to a summer party he had been invited. It hadn't gone well. James had came back an hour later with a fat lip, a broken nose and a bruised eye. Ginny had gone to sleep to James' great luck but Harry had been awake waiting for him.

"You're ten years old and you're fighting with other kids! What is going to happen when you get your own wand?" Harry had asked him as he cleaned the blood from his nose.

"It wasn't my fault", the boy had responded. "And this hurts".

"If you didn't want it to hurt you shouldn't have fought with the other kids in the first place! What am I going to do with you, Jamie?"

"I did it for you", the boy had murmured.

"What do you mean?" Harry had asked perplexed.

"Nothing".

"Jamie", Harry had said and his son had turned his face to the floor looking away from him.

"Those kids said...said..."

"What?"

"They said that 'cause you're famous and had an adventurous life soon you will be bored of us, of having a family and that you're gonna leave us".

Harry had looked at him stunned and then he had gotten angry.

"Who were the kids that said it?" he had asked his son outraged.

"Is it true?"

"What is?"

"You're gonna get bored of us? You're gonna leave?" James had asked still not looking at him.

"Leave? And go where?" Harry had said. "First of all, how could I ever get bored of you? Those kids wanted adventure? Tell them to try and have the three of you as kids! And then...I would never leave you, your mum, Al and Lil for anything in this world...I love you".

"You wouldn't?"

"No, I wouldn't...I promise", Harry had said and his son's face had brightened.

Then he had looked up at him with a big smile on his face and then he had made a fist with his left hand and had placed it at his chest on the heart's place.

"Lion's promise?" he had said and Harry had laughed, sure that James had seen something like this in the TV Hermione's parents had given to their daughter.

He had smiled and then mimicked his son's move still smiling.

"Lion's promise", he had nodded and they both had laughed really loud.

 _*Flashback ends*_

"Harry?" Ron had come out to see where his friend was and found him smiling to himself.

Harry opened his eyes, looked around and his smile faded as he came back to reality. Ron sat next to him.

"What were you thinking?"

"James" Harry said briefly and Ron sighed.

"Harry...I want to help you and Ginny through this but I just don't know how", Ron said and Harry smiled at him.

"It's more than enough that you're here mate".

"Well, it's not like I could be anywhere else...I don't have a house" he said and Harry laughed. "It feels like it's a joke, doesn't it?"

"A very, very sick joke", Harry nodded.

"Harry!" Hermione came running from inside. "We have to get to the Ministry as fast as possible!"

***

Harry and Hermione apparated to the Ministry Hall and passing the reporters they hurried to the auror office. Matthias send a Patronus saying they had to get there immediately. Harry entered the office only to find almost all of his fellow aurors there. Hermione came in moments later only to look stunned to all the aurors just like Harry did.

"It's almost midnight", Hermione whispered in Harry's ear, as they walked to their desks. "What do they all doing here?"

Before Harry could respond though the young witch that Harry met the day of his son's abduction walked towards them.

"Artemis, do you know what's happening? Why is everyone here?" Hermione asked her anxiously.

"I'm not sure", she responded. "I think though that Apostollo send another letter".

"What?" Harry and Hermione said together.

"Matthias send a Patronus to everyone".

"Where is he?" Harry asked her but she shrugged.

"He's not in his office", she said and Harry turned to Hermione.

"You think this has something to do with James?" he asked her and she nodded.

"I'm sure...but I don't think it's just about him. Matthias wouldn't alert everyone in the middle of the night just for James", she said and the other witch nodded.

"Maybe Apostollo wants something else this time", she said.

"He has my son", Harry said bitterly. "What else could he want?" he  
asked and before the girl could respond Matthias walked in.

"Thank you for coming in such short notice", he told them nodding.

"The Ministry received another letter from Apostollo", he said and Harry's heart lost a beat.

"What did that freak wanted this time?" asked a young auror and his friends laughed.

Matthias gave him a sharp look that silenced them, just as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You are without doubt in the very beginning of your career, aren't you? Only an ignorant person would make fun of this situation", Artemis said loudly and Harry nodded in agreement.

He was growing fond of Artemis after all. She seemed really mature for her age and Harry guessed that she had already seen a lot to be able to handle herself with such determination and stability; something he had figured out during practises Matthias made him supervise, to get his head off of James (not that it helped).

"Enough!" Hermione said just as the Junior Auror made to speak. "Matthias tell us what's going on please. What was in the letter?"

"Well", Matthias began again. "Apostollo says his crazy stuff again...that everyone will pay, that no one will manage to survive from what's coming, that the Dark will rise again and those kind of stuff".

"So since this letter is the same with the one he send when he took responsibility of Dean's death, why all the fuss?" Hermione asked  
gesturing to all the aurors surrounding her.

"He wants something this time", Matthias said slowly.

"Does this have anything to do with my son?" Harry asked worried.

"In a way it has", Matthias responded. "He wants us to publish his letter, he wants us to tell everybody that he wants revenge and that he's gonna take it no matter what".

"We can't do that!" Hermione said shaking her head. "It will just panic people more!"

"I know Hermione but..." Matthias stopped and Harry understood.

"He's gonna kill my son if we don't", Harry said, the sadness in his eyes spreading to everyone.

"Yes", Matthias said slowly. "And not only him", he added.

Harry looked up confused.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked perplexed.

Matthias sighed and opening the door of his office he motioned the man inside to come out.

"What the heck is he doing here?" Harry asked shocked looking at the very last person he thought he was going to see.

***

James was sitting in a corner with his legs pulled close to his chest, hugging them with his arms. He rather doubted that he could stay stand for long; his whole body was aching. He didn't know how long he was in there, could be years. Blood was running down his face from a wound on his head. It's difficult to keep your balance when you have the cruciatus curse cast on you and he had fallen down and hit his head. He looked at the tray of food they had brought him today; it was still full. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep; he could only sit there looking at nothing, wishing that something would happen, and that someone would come.  
He heard noise outside his cell and he got up. There we go again. The door flung open but the Death Eaters standing outside stayed out. They hadn't come to torture him again; instead they threw someone inside with deliberate force. Someone...a boy. As the boy fell to the floor and the light from the candles was almost extinguished James couldn't see his face. Dolohov waved his wand from the door and a chain, like the one around James' ankle, was produced out of thin air and tied the boy's leg up as well.

"See, I even brought you some company", Dolohov laughed at James before he closed and locked the door.

James looked at the figure on the floor. The boy was trying to free his leg from the chain.

"It's no use", James said approaching him and trying to make out his face.

The boy jumped at the sound of his voice; he hadn't even noticed him.

"Potter?" the boy whispered slowly and James' eyes widened in shock as he recognised the boy at last.

"What the heck are you doing here?"

***

Harry was walking up and down in Matthias' office looking at the man sitting next to Hermione with the corner of his eye.

"I don't understand", he said finally looking at him, as they all waited for Matthias to come from the Minister's office.

"Well, that's not surprising", Draco Malfoy said smirking ironically at him.

It was kind of bizarre actually; how in spite of his worried and even paler than usual face he could still keep the irony in his voice.

"Why would they want to hurt you? As I recall you were a Death Eater!"

"Everybody knows by now that my mother helped you that day in the forest! We are now considered as blood-traitors just like the Weasleys!" he said irritated; it was obvious that the thought was causing him distress. "And they didn't hurt me...they hurt my son!"

"You're sure that they were Death Eaters that took your son?" Hermione asked.

"I think I can recognise a Death Eater, Granger!"

"It's Mrs. Weasley now", she corrected him proudly.

"Ha! I wouldn't be that cocky about that if I were you!"

"You're always cocky!"

"Cut it off!" Harry said with such a harsh voice that even Malfoy shut it. "Where's Matthias? Why is this taking so long?"

"He's trying to convince the Minister to let him publish that there's a madman who wants to kill people! It's not exactly the easiest thing to do, Harry", Hermione said shaking her head.

"He's gonna make it though, huh?" Draco asked them worried and Harry shrugged.

Matthias entered the office and both Hermione and Draco stood up. Harry though only needed to look in his relieved face to understand what the Minister said.

"Tomorrow's headlines will be about Apostollo and the Death Eaters. The Minister was reluctant at first but he realize that he couldn't keep this from the public forever, so he agreed that we would reveal some of the facts around this new threat, though certainly not all of them", Matthias said and Malfoy fell back on his seat.

"Matthias, can I read the letter?" Harry asked.

"No, you can't", Matthias said. "The Minister has it, there was nothing in there you should be interest of", he added with a loud voice so that everyone outside the open door of the office would hear him.

"Matthias, what...?" Harry began but he waved him to close the door.

"I am not allowed to reveal any of this to you", Matthias whispered and both Harry and Hermione looked at him alarmed. "We know the location from which the letter came".

"What?" Malfoy said jumping out of his chair again. "So you know where our kids are?"

"No, they don't" Harry said shaking his head. "But it's a start".

"It's a start", Matthias nodded in agreement. "The Minister wants to keep this information from you though, Harry".

"But why?" Hermione asked Matthias confused, but Harry was the one who answered.

"He's afraid of Apostollo...he doesn't want to cause a major attack from him".

"So he expects us to sit here when there's information that could lead us to James?" Hermione said outraged.

"No, he expects you to run there and cause the Death Eaters' rage...that's why he clearly forbid me to tell you anything".

"But you did", Harry said slowly.

"Yes", the man shrugged sheepishly. "I know James since he was a little kid...I care about him", he said and Harry smiled.

"Thank you", he nodded.

"The problem is that you can't go on an official auror search without the Minister knowing".

"So, what are we going to do?" Hermione asked.

"I'm gonna give you a sabbatical", Matthias said to Harry. "You can use it to search for your son...but you'll have to go alone".

"No, no...I'll go with him".

"No, Hermione, you can't" Harry said. "If you do the Ministry will understand it's a trick...I have to do it alone".

"No, you won't" Draco said. "I'm coming with you".

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "There's absolutely no way!"

"I didn't ask for your permission, I just announced it to you".

"We can't let a civilian on this", Matthias said.

"Look...I care about what you say just as much as I care about your son Potter, which is none at all", Malfoy said and Harry grunted. "I suspect that you care about my son just as much...how do I know that once you've got yours, you're not gonna leave mine behind?"

"I'm not scum like you Malfoy".

"Yeah, yeah...either you're letting me come or I go to the Minister and reveal all about your so called sabbatical!"

"Fine!" Harry yelled exasperated.

***

Harry apparated back to his house with Hermione and to his great dismay Draco Malfoy. He hated it that Malfoy would come along but it was the only way he wouldn't go to the Minister. Harry didn't care at all about what the revelation of their trick would do to his career but he knew that the Minister would stop him from going if he knew. So, he just had to put up with Malfoy for his son's sake.

"Wow...fighting evil surely does pay well, doesn't it Potter?" Malfoy said looking around.

"What happened?" Ginny sad coming fast into the kitchen. "Did you..." she stopped as she noticed Malfoy. "What is he doing here?"

"Oh, if it isn't the Mrs.!" Malfoy said smirking

"What are you doing here? What is he doing here?" Ginny demanded once again.

"Is that a way to greet an old friend?" Malfoy asked back.

She crossed the room and slapped him before anyone could stop her.

"Ginny, stop!" Harry yelled as she was punching and kicking a completely taken aback Malfoy.

"Where's my son? Did you have anything to do with this?"

"Get off! You're freaking crazy!"

"Ginny, stop!" Hermione said.

The woman backed off and for a second Hermione thought she calmed down but then she pulled her wand out.

"Where's my son?" she demanded once more.

"Ginny, stop", Harry said in a slow calming voice clutching her hand. "He doesn't know".

She looked at him for a while and then she lowered her wand and left the kitchen. Harry sighed.

"Your wife is bloody crazy!" Malfoy said rubbing his jaw.

"Yeah she is", Harry agreed gazing after her adoringly. "And if you don't watch your manners in my house I'm gonna set her on you again!" he added and walked towards the living room.

Ginny was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed across her chest and with Albus sitting next to her. Ron was just coming down from upstairs as they entered the room.

"What is he doing here?" he asked taken aback.

"Don't give him another round, he's still trying to get over the last one!"  
Hermione laughed.

Harry walked over to the couch and sat next to his son.

"Why did you bring a Death Eater in our house?" Ginny asked him.

"I'm not a Death Eater!" Draco exclaimed irritated but as she gave him a sharp look he didn't dare to add anything more.

"Honey, he's right. He's not a Death Eater, not anymore", Harry said.

"Why is he here?"

"They've taken my son as well!" he shouted.

"What?" Albus said looking at his father. "It's true? They've taken Scorpius as well?"

"Obviously", Harry nodded.

"What? It's not possible", Ginny said shaking her head. "You used to be one of them!"

"As I explained to your husband before, we are considered as blood-traitors now because of what my mother did that day in the forest...and if the Death Eaters hate something more than Potter, that's a traitorous Death Eater".

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this...but he's right", Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, listen to the Mudblood", Malfoy said only to cause Ron to point his wand at him and Harry to jump up.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your manners, Malfoy?"

"Sorry", he said eyeing Ron's wand. "Old habits".

"So how did you get caught?" James asked Scorpius as they sat on the cold floor of their cell.

"My mum and I got ambushed...we were outnumbered so..." the boy said and shook the chain around his leg at the end of his sentence.

"I see", James said. "Well, they got me while I was trying to get to..."

"...to the Teenage Battle of Bands", Scorpius finished his sentence.

"How do you know?"

"Your kidnapping is all over the press", the boy shrugged.

"Really?" James asked.

"Yeah, well, your father is a celebrity as I recall".

"He's not a celebrity, he's a hero", James said irritated and the boy smiled.

"Weren't you the one who hated him?" he asked and James' face whitened.

"What? The Daily Prophet wrote that?" he asked shocked.

"No, your brother did", he said and James widened his eyes.

"Oh, I'm gonna kill him!" he exclaimed.

"You'll have to find a way to get out of here first!" Scorpius laughed.

"I still can't believe that you and my brother are best friends!"

"Why because I'm in Slytherin?" Scorpius asked him.

"Please do not remind me that!"

"Why do you hate Slytherin so much? Severus Snape was in Slytherin and you know as well as I do that your father may be dead if it wasn't for him".

"He...he was an exception", James stammered. "I mean look to all your friends from Slytherin...they're mean people!"

"You were mean to your own father!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME AND MY FATHER SO DON'T TALK ABOUT IT!" James shouted outraged but the boy just shrugged.

"Fine, sorry", he said indifferently.

"Oh, man, you're even more irritating than my brother!" James said shaking his head.

"Your brother likes you", Scorpius said seriously.

"Yeah, especially after what happened with dad, I'm sure he does!" James said ironically.

"He looks up to you", the boy said and James looked at him in complete astonishment.

"He does what?"

"He looks up to you", Scorpius repeated. "But don't tell him I told you that".

James was still looking at the boy astonished as they heard keys on the door.

"What do you think they want?" Scorpius asked James as they were getting up.

"Either to bring us food or to kill some of their spare time".

"How do they do that?" the boy asked sounding scared for the first time.

"Don't worry, it's just the food this time", James said as a Death Eater placed two trays of food in front of them.

"You call that food?" Scorpius said looking with disgust the yellowish soup in his plate.

"It's all we've got", James shrugged.

"I can't believe this!" the boy said shaking his head. "And I didn't even touch what my mum had for lunch today".

"Why not?"

"I wasn't hungry then. God, what I wouldn't give right now to have my mum's lunch!"

"If you had it, you wouldn't want it...people have this weird tendency to always want what they can't and won't have", James smiled.


	6. Chapter 6 - Recipe for Danger

Chapter 6 – Recipe for Danger

"So when are you leaving?" Albus asked his father with concern written all over his face.

Harry had just explained to them what he was going to do. Malfoy was standing in a corner near the fire place looking around at the living room, seemingly not interested in what they were discussing.

"Well, we're gonna have to wait until Matthias sends my sabbatical and then..." Harry said shrugging.

"I'm coming with you", Ginny said and she got up from the couch.

"Why so you can puke on the Death Eaters?" Ron asked her ironically.

"Your wife is sick?" Malfoy asked Harry rather indifferently.

"No, she's pregnant", he responded looking at her indignantly. "Something she seems to forget!"

She grunted but she sat back down next to her son again.

"Pregnant?" Malfoy repeated. "Wow, you cannot keep all three of them safe and you're going for the forth?"

"You've got one and you've lost him!" Hermione reminded him.

"Oh, yeah", he said realizing it.

Before anyone else could say anything a loud pop came from the kitchen.

"Harry, Hermione, is anyone here?" a woman's voice called.

"Who is it?" Ginny asked.

"Artemis" Hermione responded. "She must have brought the papers for Harry's sabbatical".

"We're in the living room, Artemis", Harry called out and few moments later the beautiful woman walked in.

She looked at them for a while and then she smiled.

"Matthias sends you these", she told Harry giving him a bunch of papers. "There are some forms you must sign".

"Okay thanks", Harry smiled at her.

Ginny coughed.

"Oh, um, that's my wife, Ginny Potter".

"Ginevra", she corrected him as she stood up and shook the girl's hand.

"Since when?"

"Since now!" she whispered back at him.

"I'm Artemis", the other woman said smiling.

"And that's my husband, Ronald", Hermione said drugging him.

"Ron", he said shaking her hand.

"Ronald!" Hermione insisted and both he and Harry rolled their eyes.

"And since no one is going to introduce me, I'm gonna do it myself", Draco said walking forward, stretching his hand. "Draco Malfoy".

"Nice to meet you", she said taking his hand.

"Have we met before?" he asked her. "You look kind of familiar".

"No, we haven't" the girl said dismissively and then she turned to Harry. "So are you gonna sign them or not?"

"Yeah sure", he said searching for a quil.

Ginny gave him one and soon he was officially on sabbatical.

"Okay, I'd better take those back", Artemis smiled and waving goodbye she walked to the kitchen and minutes later they heard her apparating.

Ron turned to Malfoy.

"Have we met before? That's original!"

"You promise you'll be careful?"

"Yes, baby, I've already promised you", Harry told Ginny as she packed his stuff in their bedroom.

Harry and Malfoy will be leaving at dawn. She closed his bag and walked over to the other side of the bed where he was sitting. She stood in front of him.

"Just...just come back soon...find our son and come back with him", she said and he took her hands and pulled her close to him, putting his hands around her waist.

"I will", he nodded looking up at her.

"That's why I love you...you never disagree with me", she said and he smiled.

"I'm gonna miss you".

"You'd better", she said narrowing her eyes and he placed his head on her chest.

She hugged him.

"I really do love you".

"I know, I really never disagree with you".

Two hours later, almost five in the morning, they were ready to go. Malfoy was waiting in the kitchen for Harry. He was in the living room saying goodbye to Lily and Albus, who were both awake waiting for them to leave in spite their mother's orders to go to bed.

"When are you coming back, daddy?"

"I don't know Lills", he said kissing her forehead. "I will come back though...with James".

"Then we'll wait for you", she smiled and she hugged him tightly.

Harry got up when she let go of him and walked to Albus. He smiled at him and Harry hugged him.

"You watch your mum and your sister until I come back".

"Okay dad", the boy nodded and Lily grunted.

"Like we need watching", she said and Ginny laughed.

"No, God forbid!" Harry said raising his hands up in surrender and they all laughed. "Where are Ron and Hermione? I wanted to..."

"We're here", Ron said entering the living room, followed by Hermione, Rose and Hugo.

He was holding a backpack.

"I'm coming with you", he said and Harry shook his head.

"No, Ron, it's..."

"You don't honestly think I'm gonna let you alone with Malfoy".

"Ron..."

"Harry, he's coming", Hermione said with finality in her voice and Harry sighed.

"Fine", he gave up.

He kissed Ginny one more time and then turned to Ron.

"We'd better go then".

They apparated right outside of the place the letter came from. It looked like a bar, something like a Leaky Cauldron that had fallen into decay. It reminded Harry a scene from a western movie actually.

"This is the place?" Malfoy said in disbelief. "Can you actually see a Death Eater coming here?"

Harry shook his head. Malfoy was right but he didn't want to admit it to himself; this place was screaming Muggle from miles away.

"Come on, let's go inside", Ron said approaching the old wooden door.

"Maybe we should take some precautions first", Malfoy told him looking around.

"Why? It's a bar right? We'll act like customers", Ron shrugged and Harry grabbed Draco's arm and drugged him inside.

"Wow", was Ron's and Draco's reaction when they saw inside.

'Wow, it is...' Harry thought to himself.

It wasn't a bar, it was a...a...

"It's a..."Ron gulped turning to them with a silly look on his face. "It's a strip club!"

***

James was sitting in his favorite corner again watching Scorpius walking up and down.

"Would you stay in one place? You're making me dizzy!"

"You shouldn't be sitting there all day long", he told him. "You may damage your legs if you don't use them at all!"

"So that's why you haven't put your butt down for the last two hours?"

"No, I think I'm getting claustrophobic", the boy answered.

"What's that? Is it contagious? Maybe you should stay right on the other corner of the cell", James said gesturing him away.

"It's not contagious! It means that I'm afraid of small, enclosed places!"

"And where do you go when you want to use the bathroom? To the forest?"

Scorpius ignored him and sat down.

"I'm getting suffocated in here!" he said and James rolled his eyes.

He was perfectly sure that there was nothing wrong with Scorpius, he had just gotten bored. He shook his head.

"From all the people...all the people in the world, I had to be locked in here with you!"

"Shut up", Scorpius said just as they heard keys on their door again.

Scorpius forgot all about his claustrophobia and got up. James did so too as the door opened. It was Dolohov followed by a bunch of masked Death Eaters.

"What do you want?" James asked irritably.

"Just wanted to see what you were doing. You know, your fathers would have probably killed each other by now", he smiled.

"We have a common enemy", James responded and the man's smile widened.

"I guess you're referring to us, aren't you? Oh, and here I thought we were becoming friends", Dolohov said making his voice sound childish.

"Do you want anything else than to get on my nerves?" James said irritated and the man pulled his wand out.

Scorpius gasped. James glanced at him. He knew very well what Dolohov wanted; to have fun, as he had said before and James had learned first hand what was the definition of fun for the deranged man. James walked slowly and stood in front of Scorpius. He didn't think that the boy could take it. If Dolohov wanted to torture someone, he could torture him.

"You think you're gonna scare me just by waving your little wand in front of my face?"

James said to make sure Dolohov would deal with him and wouldn't harm Scorpius.

"Oh kiddo, you're so beyond help! Haven't I tortured you enough? Or maybe I've tortured you too much and fried your brain".

"My brain is fine, Dolohov. If you had one you would understand that it's a complex object, that doesn't get fried over nothing!"

"We'll see about that", the man said and raised his wand, pointing it in James' chest as always.

The boy gulped but stood his ground steeling himself for what was to come.

"Crucio!"

James fell on the ground once again feeling the known now pain stabbing him. He clenched his teeth hard and tried to hold his screams back but he couldn't achieve it for long, so he just gave into the pain and started screaming. When it ended he just stayed trembling on the floor gasping for air. Dolohov was looking down at him with a cruel smirk in his face. Then his eyes darted up to Scorpius.

"Do you have anything to say to me?" he asked him still smirking broadly.

Scorpius was too terrified to answer so he just shook his head.

"Good; you work with us boy, it's in you anyway".

Scorpius bit his lower lip but shook his head negatively.

"I'm not a Death Eater", he whispered.

"No? But everyone in your family was, is there really any point in resisting your true nature?"

"I'm not..." Scorpius mumbled.

"Evil is in your blood boy, deal with it".

"I'M NOT EVIL!" Scorpius yelled.

Dolohov's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward raising his wand, just as James stood up.

"Leave him alone!" he said and the command in his voice made Dolohov stop.

"Tell me something Potter are you stupid or just plain crazy? How many times must I use the cruciatus upon you until you learn to control your cheek?" he said getting a bit irritated, that nothing seemed to work with this boy.

"Huh, I guess cheek runs in _my_ blood, doesn't it?" James sneered to irritate him, but Dolohov laughed.

"I guess it does", he seemed to agree. "I guess you're just as stupid as your father".

James' felt his throat tighten in the very mention of his father. He knew now how right his dad had been and he regretted ever arguing with him and everything he had said and hearing Dolohov speak ill about him was just too much.

"Do not talk about my father", he said warningly feeling hatred boiling up inside him.

"I bet you think that daddy will come and save you, don't you?" the Death Eater laughed. "I bet you sleep wishing he was here".

"I said do not talk about him! Stop!" James said angered.

"Well, let me tell you something kiddo", he went on ignoring him. "No one can save you now, not even your pathetic father".

Rage took over James and before he could stop himself he spitted right on Dolohov's face. The man froze for a moment like he couldn't believe what had just happened and then he moved with an amazing speed that James didn't even see the hand that landed on his jaw. He fell down from its force just as Dolohov gave a nod at the masked Death Eaters that stood at the door. Two of them stepped inside and grabbed the boy's arms holding him down. James tried to fight their hold but they were strong as bulls. One of them grabbed some of the boy's hair and pulled his head back, just as Dolohov lashed out once more. White stars emerged in front of the boy's eyes as he kicked him hard on the face and blood tingled down his face and jaw. Before his head could stop spinning another blow came and along with his gasp he heard Scorpius' too, but he wished he would stay out of it; not both of them had to suffer. The Death Eater holding his hair releashed him and turning to stand in front of him, kicked him hard on the ribs. The force made him fell backwards gasping for air, his whole body aching.

"Stop!" Scorpius yelled and Dolohov pointed his wand at him.

"You be quiet boy", he hished. "I may have had a friedship with your grandfather but my hatred for Potter is greater".

"It's his father that you hate, not him!" Scorpius shouted. "He hasn't done anything to you, leave him alone!"

Dolohov grunted angily and raised his wand.

"Cru..." he started but James made himself stand up before he could cast the curse that caused pain against the other boy; before he just wanted to avoid looking at someone else under the influence on the cruciatus curse, but now it just didn't seem right to let Dolohov unleash anger that James had provoked on Scorpius.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he had gotten used to see Scorpius hang with his brother and that they were best friends, but it just didn't feel right to let him get hurt, like he wouldn't be able to let anything happen to Albus. As he had anticipated Dolohov turned his wand to him instead.

"I will teach you to obey, kiddo, trust me", he said but James sneered in spite of the blood that ran down his face.

"I'm sorry but I strongly disagree with you", he said sarcastically.

Dolohoc crossed the room before James could register it again and this time he kicked him in the stomach. The boy fell down again doubling in two, a nauseating pain erupting in his abdomen.

"Crucio!" Dolohov yelled once again.

James gasped as pain shot right through him once more, before he could even recover from Dolohov's blow. Every single of his muscles burned and he made no effort to hold his screams back this time. He was writhing on the floor feeling like his body would explode. And the pain wasn't going away; the curse wasn't going away. Dolohov wasn't lifting it as he had done all the other times, he wasn't stopping. James screamed again and again and dread spread inside him as he thought of Neville's parents and how they were tortured to insanity, thinking Dolohov would do the same to him. He thought he heard Scorpius telling them to stop, begging internally that they would.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The curse stopped suddenly as Dolohov shook his wand. James was released from his agony and he lay on his side, gasping for air, his throat feeling as though it would tear from his screams. He relaxed his fingers momentarily, not noticing the half-moon shapes his nails had made into his palm, his body still convulsing from the effect of the cruciatus.

"What?" Dolohov asked turning to look at Yaxley, who had just entered the cell.

"You know we are not allowed to kill the boy, Dolohov!" Yaxley barked.

"I'm not killing him", he shrugged. "I'm educating him", he smirked pointing his wand again at the still trembling boy, who couldn't help but flinch openly.

"No!" Yaxley shouted irritated grasping Dolohov's hand. "You heard Apostollo! You can play with him, but you cannot torture him to an extreme extent".

"Well, where's the fun in that?" Dolohov said freeing his hand from Yaxley's, but then he grunted and left the cell.

"Sit up", Yaxley ordered the boy.

James ignored him and Yaxley gestured at two of the Death Eaters, who walked forward and grabbing the boy's arms made him sit up. James' entire body screamed in protest but he tried to hold back the groan that rose to his throat.

"Not so cheeky now, are you Potter?" he said and James looked up and stared at him for a few moments.

Then he started crying in his hands. Yaxley laughed, finally they had managed to break the boy.

"Why are you doing this?" James asked between sobs.

"Revenge", Yaxley said and James fell on him, grabbing him from the waist.

"Please, please let us go!" he begged.

Yaxley kicked him and he fell back.

"You weren't so hard to break as we thought after all, were you?" Yaxley laughed with satisfaction and smirking once more at him he left, closing the door behind him.

James pulled his hands of his face. It was weird that while he was supposedly crying he had no tears in his eyes. He looked back at Scorpius. The boy hadn't moved all this time. He just stood against the wall terrified and his eyes were swimming in tears. Scorpius sat down and James crawled next to him, wincing a little as he did so.

"Don't cry, it's gonna be okay", he said and the boy looked at him bewildered.

James looked like a complete other person from the one he was minutes ago.

"What...?" Scorpius stammered.

James was holding something in front of the boy's face. Scorpius looked at it and his eyes widened.

"You took his keys?" he said amazed.

"You didn't actually think I'd beg, did you?"

"But when...how?"

"Everybody has a talent!" James said smiling in spite the bad condition he was in.

***

"Why are we in a strip club?" Harry asked.

"Just relax and enjoy it", Malfoy smirked looking around.

"We didn't come here to look at naked women, we came to find our children, remember?" Harry said irritated.

"Okay, okay, calm down. Look, you go ask the barman if he saw anything and we...we just gonna take a look around", Malfoy said and drugging Ron from the arm they walked away before Harry could protest.

Harry sighed. The bar was behind him. The barman was a tall, bald man that didn't look English. Harry walked there and sat in the only empty chair next to a woman who was obviously one of the girls that worked there, since she missed half of her clothes.

"Are you looking for some company, handsome?" she told him.

"No, thanks, I just want to talk to the barman", Harry responded getting her hand off his shoulder.

She raised her eyebrows to his response.

"Hmmmmm...you're gay, huh?"

"No, married", he replied and she laughed.

"Honey, most of the men in here are married!" she said as he waved to the barman.

"Yeah, but I'm happily married...I love my wife", he said making her give up and to his great relief leave.

The barman walked in front of him.

"What you want to drink?" the bald man asked.

"Nothing...um...I'm looking for someone", Harry said getting a photograph of Dolohov out of his jacket and showing it to him.

He had casted a spell on it so it wouldn't move.

"Haven't seen him", the barman said not even looking at the picture.

"Please look at it again, I need to find him", Harry said and the man stared at him.

"Are you a cop?" he asked aggressively.

"No...not in the way you mean it", Harry reassured him. "I'm...I'm looking for my son...and this man may know where he is. Please take a look at it".

The barman sighed and looked at the photo. He shook his head.

"I don't know him", he said.

"Are you certain? He could be here around midnight", Harry insisted but the barman laughed.

"What would he do here around midnight? Mop the floors?"

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"We hadn't opened yet at midnight. We open after two a.m. at least", the man explained.

"So no one was here then?"

"Well, the boss was", the barman shrugged.

"Can you get him?"

"Okay", the barman nodded. "Stella!" he called out to the nearest stripper. "Go get Monica".

"Who's Monica?" Harry asked confused.

"The boss", the man responded.

***

"Wait, maybe we shouldn't do it", Scorpius said as James unlocked the chain around his ankle.

"We shouldn't do what?" James asked absentminded as he tested the keys to unlock Scorpius' chain too.

"Maybe we shouldn't get out of the cell", the said and James looked at him confused.

"We're imprisoned and we have the keys to get out and you think we shouldn't?"

"Where we will go? Who knows how many Death Eaters are out there and none of us has a wand!" Scorpius pointed out and James fell silent for a while.

"Okay, say we stay here", he said after some consideration."What are we gonna do when Yaxley realizes I took his keys, genius?"

"Maybe he won't accuse us if we stay here".

"Yeah and maybe we'll manage to get out if we don't stay here!" James said indignantly.

Scorpius groaned as the boy unlocked his leg and pulled him up grabbing his arm.

"Have you thought this through?" Scorpius asked as the boy approached the door searching for the right key.

"No", James said and slowly he turned the key in the lock.

***

A woman came down the stairs after being called from the stripper. Harry turned to look at her. She was dressed a little 'light' herself but she didn't look like a stripper. She wore gold earrings, a heavy necklace and many rings. She had brown hair and brown eyes and she would be pretty if she didn't try so hard to be pretty. She reached the bar and looked around.

"What is it, Jo?" she asked addressing the barman.

He gestured at Harry.

She looked rather indifferenlty to where he was pointing but when her eyes fell on Harry her stare froze. Her eyes searched his forehead and Harry realized with a jolt that she was looking for his scar; meaning she knew who he was; meaning she was a witch. She turned and run up the stairs.

"HEY!" Harry yelled following her. "Hey, wait!"

He reached the end of the stairs in time to see her closing the door of the opposite room. He run and opened the door. She was there in the middle of the room, facing him, pointing her wand right to his chest.

"Get out or I'll hex you!"

***

Scorpius was following James, who walked ahead carefully in an empty hallway. As it turned out hey were in some kind of a castle; it wasn't even the half of Hogwarts but still it was big enough for them not to know where to go.

"Remind me to tell you that this was a stupid idea!" Scorpius whispered to James.

"Are you always so pessimistic or are you just doing it to get on my nerves?"

"Both I guess", the boy answered with a smirk, which faded when they heard footsteps approaching.

"Damn it!" James said looking around for a way out.

"That's great, that's really great", Scorpius said shaking his head.

James grabbed him and pulled him in the closest room, closing the door behind them.

James stuck his ear on the door trying to listen if anyone was coming as Scorpius turned to face the room.

"Oh, my God!"

***

Harry looked at the wand pointing at him and considered the situation. He couldn't pull his wand out without her hexing him; Ron and Draco were downstairs probably busy with some strippers and they couldn't help him...but he couldn't listen to her and leave; not when she could provide him with information about James.

"Listen to me", he said using his calming voice, but she didn't calm.

"I'm not listening to anything! Get out of here!"

"No", he said shaking his head.

"Get out or..."

"Or what? You're gonna hex me? You know who I am, don't you? I'm an auror and what you're doing right now can cost you about a year in Azkaban".

"I SAID GET OUT!" she screamed.

"NO!" he shouted back. "I'm looking for my son and you're gonna help me find him!"

"I have no idea where your son is...here I helped...now get lost!" she said.

"Please" Harry said changing the tone in his voice. "My son is fifteen...just fifteen...please help me find him. Do you want the blood of an innocent child on your hands?" he said and her lips trembled.

"I...I...", she stammered.

"Please", Harry repeated. "I promise that I'll make sure that no one will hurt you...please tell me where my boy is!"

***

"What?" James asked turning to look at Scorpius.

He expected to see something scary inside the room by the boy's voice but he saw a perfectly normal bedroom. Scorpius was standing in front of a map on the wall.

"Is this the first time you're seeing a map?" James asked and the boy turned to look at him.

He seemed terrified.

"Look at the map James", he said slowly.

James rolled his eyes and walked next to the boy. He looked at the map. It wasn't a map of England but of one other country.

"I'm looking at it, so what?"

Scorpius grunted and pointed at a big red pinch on the map.

"This means that this castle is here", he said.

"But we are in the castle" James said and Scorpius nodded. "I don't understand".

"Are you always so slow or are you just doing it to get on my nerves?" Scorpius said irritated.

James ignored him and looked at the map again. It was a map of some country; the castle was in that country; they were in the castle...

"Oh, my God, we're not in England!" he exclaimed.

***

"I can't", she said shaking her head, still holding her wand tight.

"Why not?" Harry demanded.

"He's gonna...I'm gonna...I'm gonna lose the club!"

"Why?"

"I owe them money...they're gonna send me in prison!"

"No one is gonna send you in prison if you cooperate!" Harry said and she lowered her wand and Harry sat in a chair nearby. "Do you have anything to do with the Death Eaters?"

She closed her eyes and nodded.

"Dolohov...he used to come here...I thought he was a...a client...we had some problems with the local police...he took care of it...and he took care of some gangs owed money to..."

"What did he want in exchange?" Harry asked.

"To take some money every now and then...to send letters from here...to send him...some...some girls...you know..."

"Where's my son? You know, don't you?" he asked.

"I know where their Headquarters are, because I send some of my girls there for the Death Eaters, but I cannot guarantee that your son will be there; though I can't see where else he could be", she said.

"It's okay...tell me where their Headquarters are", Harry said feeling his heart beating fast in his chest; he was a breath away from James.

"It's a castle; I don't know who owns it...but..."

"But?"

"It's not in England", she said and Harry's eyes widened. "It's in Austria".

Okay, maybe he was more than a breath away from James.

***

"What are we gonna do?" Scorpius asked James. "Even if we get out of this place, we'll be in a complete unknown country, with no way of getting to England and..."

"Stop mumbling!" James said as he walked up and down in the room. "Okay, okay, okay, okay..." he said to himself.

"Okay what?"

"I have no idea", James sighed sitting on the bed.

"There must be something we can do!" Scorpius said.

"What?"

"I don't know...you think of something!"

"I took the keys...it's your turn!" James said.

"I figured out that we're not in England, which makes it your turn again!" Scorpius pointed out and James grunted loudly, then he put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

If they couldn't leave, they could at least alert someone about their whereabouts.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna find a way to send a message to my house...let them know we're okay and that we're not in England", he said and he got up.

"How are we gonna do that?" Scorpius asked.

"Well, they must have owls!" the boy said.

"So we're gonna search this whole place for an owl, hoping we won't get caught?"

"You know I live for the day I'm gonna come up with a plan you're gonna like", James said walking to the door.

"Yeah, that's gonna happen!" the boy said ironically, following him.

***

Harry run down the stairs of the strip club excited. Finally he knew...he knew where James was and he was going to go and get him no matter what. He looked around. He had to find Ron and Malfoy first. They weren't anywhere close so he walked to the next room.  
A young, blonde woman was getting stripped on the stage while dancing to the extremely loud music and a bunch of men were watching and cheering. Harry spotted Ron and Malfoy right in front of the stage. He rolled his eyes and he got into the crowd, trying to get to them. After a lot of pushing and swearing finally he made it next to them.

"I know where the boys are!" he said pulling Ron's sleeve.

"Harry! This place is amazing!" Ron yelled clearly not hearing him from the loud music.

"I just want to say that I love this investigation!" Malfoy yelled too.

"I KNOW WHERE THE KIDS ARE!" Harry shouted.

"I know too!" Ron laughed. "They're home!"

"Not your kids, you idiot!" Harry said shaking his head and then his eyes widened. "Are you drunk?"

"No!" they both exclaimed laughing.

"I can't believe I'm living this", Harry said indignantly. "I leave you on your own for like one hour and you..." he began but didn't continue as the woman's braw landed on his head and the other two roared with laughter.

"That is so hilarious!" Ron said and Harry narrowed his eyes, taking the braw of him.

"Laugh while you can 'cause I'm so telling Hermione about this!" he said and Ron's face whitened, the smile fading from his face.

"What?" he said frightened.

"Oh, good you're all sober now", Harry said. "Take the blonde loser next to you and follow me outside NOW!"

***

James was walking carefully with Scorpius following him. They had already come across four Death Eaters and had managed to hide only for some seconds.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Hello, we're searching for the place they're keeping the owls!"

"Where is it?"

"If I knew we wouldn't be searching for it, would we?" James said impatiently.

"Maybe we should go up", the boy said tiredly and James turned to look at him.

"Up? What do you mean up?"

"The owls always are to the highest part of a castle, like in Hogwarts", Scorpius said and James' mouth fell open.

"Why didn't you say so?"

"I thought you knew", Scorpius said and James rolled his eyes.

"Uh, you're unbelievable!"

"Thank you", the boy smiled and James grunted.

"Well, we passed a staircase that went up. Come on", he said and grabbing his arm, he pulled him back.

They reached the wooden staircase minutes later. James shrugged and walked up. Scorpius groaned to himself and followed him.

"Seriously though this is getting..." Scorpius started but what followed made him forget what he wanted to say.

The step under James' foot broke and his leg got trapped in the hole. James fell back on the wall and let out a scream of pain. Scorpius hurried next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked him terrified.

"My leg", James said with tears of pain in his eyes. "I can't get my leg out".

Scorpius grabbed James' leg and tried to move it but the boy screamed with pain. Scorpius' hands were full of James' blood. Scorpius tried to pull his leg out more carefully but it was useless; James' leg was stuck. God only knew how much they both wished for their wands at that moment. And like things weren't already bad they heard voices coming from somewhere up. The two boys froze.

"What are we doing now?" Scorpius asked James with a panicked tone in his voice.

James looked at him and then at the top of the staircase; the voices were getting closer. He turned back to the boy.

"Go", he told him and the boy's eyes widened.

He shook his head.

"They're gonna kill you if they find you here", he said but James put the keys of their cell in his hands.

"Take the keys and go lock yourself back to the cell and hide them somewhere; this way it would seem like I got out and left you there...they won't hurt you for that", James said but Scorpius shook his head once again.

"No", he said. "We're both leaving", he added and tried to free James' leg again.

The boy bit his lower lip to hold his scream back, tears of pain and despair running down his face.

"Stop, it's not going to happen!" he said and Scorpius gave up, yet he didn't leave.

"I'm not leaving", he said; he had tears in his eyes too but he wasn't moving from his side.

James would never have guessed that a Slytherin could be so brave or that a Slytherin could care of him. He shook his head.

"Go...it will be the same for me if they only find me or if they find us both. Go damn it!"

"No!"

"Do not argue with me when I'm in pain!" James said furiously. "Get the hell out of here!"

Now the voices were accompanied from footsteps; they were just around the corner. Scorpius looked at James' wounded trapped leg and then back at him. James widened his eyes and gestured him to go. The boy closed his eyes and with one last look at James he run down and disappeared around the closest corner.  
James leaned back on the wall relieved, just as Dolohov appeared on the top of the stairs.

***

"Austria? What do you mean they're in Austria?" Malfoy asked Harry as they walked the empty streets of the town the strip club was in, at seven in the morning.

Draco and Ron had become sober and forgot all about the strippers when Harry told them what he had found out.

"They're in Austria...in some castle near Salzburg to be exact", Harry said as he walked fast.

"So what are we going to do? How are we gonna get to Austria? You can't apparate from one country to the other, can you?" Ron asked as they were following Harry.

"No, you can't", he responded.

"So what are we doing?" Malfoy demanded.

"Well...since we don't have brooms and we'd have to use black magic to fly, we're only left with one choice really...we'll just gonna have to apparate to the borders of each country from here to Austria and cross them until we finally get there".

"Wow, I'm exhausted just to hear it", Ron said.

"Isn't there any other way?" Draco asked.

"We can always use the Muggle way...airplane", Harry said.

"What? No way!" they both exclaimed terrified as Harry was sure they're going to do.

"Fine then, we're back to my plan. Come on hurry up, we have to buy some stuff before we get going".

"Like what?" Ron asked.

"A map may be good".

***

Scorpius was sitting on the floor of his cell, his breath as fast as the beats of his heart. He had made it back without being noticed; he had locked the chain around his leg; he had thrown the keys outside the cell before he closed the door...now all he had to do was to wait. He couldn't help but feeling like a coward though...he knew that James was right, that it would be worse if they got them both, but still he felt guilty for leaving him behind. Yaxley had tortured James just because he gave him cheeky responses; what would they do to him now that he escaped his cell by stealing Yaxley's keys?  
Soon he heard voices outside his cell; the Death Eaters were coming to make sure that he was there. He didn't bother to get up...he felt too tired for that. The door flew open and Dolohov came in; his face a mask of rage. He looked at the boy for a while like he wanted to convince himself that he was really there and then he let out a sigh of relief.

"So is he here?" Yaxley said stepping in. His characteristics relaxed when he saw the boy.

"Great", Dolohov smiled and then he looked back at Yaxley with a rather cocky expression on his face. "Thankfully for us nothing worse happened because of your stupidity!"

"Do not call me stupid Dolohov!"

"You got tricked by a fifteen year old boy!" he said irritated but Yaxley ignored him and turned to the boy.

"So...where are the keys?" he asked. Scorpius shrugged.

"How should I know?" Scorpius asked.

"The Potter boy didn't have them...which means that you do", Dolohov said.

"If I had them, would I be locked in here?" Scorpius pointed out. "He left without me that little backstabbing idiot and he took the keys with him".

"Really?" Yaxley asked sarcastically.

"Really!" Scorpius said. "I guess you got him though, huh?"

"Yeah, of course we did", Dolohov laughed.

"So where is he?"

"Why do you care?" Dolohoc asked narrowing his eyes.

"I don't...I wouldn't even if you've killed him" the boy shrugged.

"Oh, we didn't kill him", Yaxley said.

"Just bring him in here again and I'm gonna kill him!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"No, he's not coming in here again", Dolohov said shaking his head and waving Yaxley out. "Here is not the right place for him to be punished for his little attempt to escape", Dolohov smirked.

"What are you gonna do with him?" Scorpius asked smirking back at them like he was enjoying the aspect of James being hurt in spite the fact that he could feel his heart beating panicky inside his body.

"No one plays with me child", Yaxley said, sounding even darker than usual. "We were going easy on him until now, in spite the fact that he was Potter's son, because we needed him to bargain; but that's over now...and he has himself to blame", the man said cruelly and closed the door, leaving the boy dumbstruck; what did they planned to do to James?


	7. Chapter 7 - Dum Spiro Spero

Chapter 7 - Dum Spiro Spero

"So what are going to do now?" Ron asked Harry.

It was one o'clock at noon and they were in a small, hideaway house somewhere in Salzburg's mountain side. Apparently Salzburg was one of the numerous cities across the world the auror office had plant places of shelter in and thankfully Harry knew about it. It was made of wood and it had only three rooms; one with a bed and a table, a small kitchen and a smaller bathroom.

"We learned where the castle is...so let's just go and get them", Malfoy said before Harry could respond.

"As much as I want to, we can't just apparate in the castle and blast eveything out of our way towards the kids", Harry said as he sat in the small, rather uncomfortable bed.

"Why not?" Malfoy asked irritated.

"First of all I'm certain that you can't apparate in and out of the castle; and besides that, there are only three of us and they are more than that obviously, plus they could easily kill one of the boys when they realize we are there", Harry explained and Malfoy raised his eyebrows.

"Who cares? It would be your son that they'd kill anyway", he said and Harry jumped up outraged but Ron held him back.

"And if we kill each other it won't do any good to either of the boys", Ron said looking Harry straight in the eyes.

He sighed and walked out of the room to the bathroom slamming the door behind him. Ron turned to the other man.

"Malfoy? You kind of need us in order to get your son back...try to remember that!"

An hour and a lot of swearing later they were all sitting around the table trying to find a way to get to the kids.

"So we're gonna have to sneak into the castle", Ron said.

"How are we gonna do that?" Malfoy sked the other two tiredly.

"Well, the Death Eaters wore masks", Harry answered. "We don't need to use Polyjuice Potion, which is a good thing since we don't have any, we just gonna have to knock some of them down and take their outfits; some of them have to be wondering in the city's bars..."

"So we find three Death Eaters and we just get into the castle dressed like them?" Ron asked.

"Yeah...too bad we're not in England; then Draco could just go home and get his very own Death Eater outfit", Harry said and Malfoy looked at him outraged.

"I was never a real Death Eater!"

"Yeah,yeah, keep saying that to yourself...or maybe say it to the tattoo in your arm".

"Cut it off!" Ron yelled as Malfoy opened his mouth to speak again. "We were okay before; now that we are so close, now you're gonna sort your differences out?" he said and the two men fell silent.

Ron huffed, clearly irritated himself. He was not used to be the one to stand in the middle and keep things in check. He understood though that Harry was dreading the possibility of things going wrong and James getting hurt, because they were not careful enough and that Malfoy was only enhanching this feeling. Malfoy on the other hand was simply acting like the slimy git he was, but he guessed that at some level he too was worried about his own son. So, as he had said to them and as he kept telling himself, tearing each others throats would have to wait until they sorted things out.

Harry nodded at him. They both knew that Ron was right...what Malfoy said or do didn't matter...all that mattered now was James.

The discovery of three Death Eaters was harder than any of them had anticipated. They only managed to get two, who were in their underwear and tied up in the auror house. It was five in the afternoon now and they were forced to make some changes to their plan; they couldn't keep looking for Death Eaters.  
So Harry and Draco approached the entrance of the castle. They were walking fast towards it, hoping that no one will stop them, since they were dressed as Death Eaters.

"I can't believe I'm wearing this", Harry whispered to Malfoy.

What he was feeling was beyong disgust. He felt like he was commiting the biggest sin of his life.

"Maybe you should keep it for the Halloween", Malfoy whispered back and Harry was certain that he was smirking to himself even though he couldn't see his face.

He didn't gave him an answer though because he was distracted. The door was right in front of them but a young unmasked Death Eater was sitting behind a table to the door.

"State your names", he said when he saw them.

Harry froze for a second. The Death Eater had a notebook in front of him and Harry was certain that he had the names of all the Death Eaters in and out of the castle written in there...and they were stupid enough not to ask the names of the Death Eaters they had taken the equipment from.

"We don't have time for that. We are in a hurry", Malfoy said and took some steps forward but the Death Eater stood up.

"You cannot get in without giving your names...give your names or I'm afraid I'm gonna have to call for reinforcement", he said.

"How dare you to speak like this to me, boy?" Malfoy said."Do you know who I am?"

"No, that's what I want to know", the Death Eater stated and Malfoy took some more steps forward ignoring the boy's raised wand.

"You young Death Eaters must show some respect to us, boy!" he said and he pulled his sleeve up.

There on his arm was tattooed the Dark Mark. The Death Eater widened his eyes; obviously the Death Eaters, Apostollo had recruited didn't get to have the tattoo.

"You see this? Do you even know what this is or are you so ignorant? The Dark Lord did this to me himself!"

The boy was all out of words. Malfoy pulled his sleeve down and passing the young Death Eater he walked in with Harry following him.  
When they turned in the first corner Malfoy fell back on the wall taking deep breaths.

"That was brilliant!" Harry told him.

"You gave me the idea", he shrugged. "So what now?"

"Now we're gonna have to find where the boys are".

"How are we going to do that?"

"Well the kidnapping of our sons should be great news for the Death  
Eaters in here...all of them should know where they are. We'll find just find a Death Eater, use the Imperius curse on him and we'll know", Harry said and Malfoy laughed.

"You're suggesting the use of an Unforgivable Curse? As an auror aren't you suppose to arrest the people who use them?"

"Desperate parents call for desperate measures".

The Death Eater fell at Harry's legs hit by a stunning spell from Malfoy. Harry was frozen. He was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. The Death Eater told them where the boys were; he told them that they were not together because James had tried to get out; he had tried to get out and now the Death Eaters were making him regret it...he told them he was in the torturing room. Harry gulped. What had they done to him? Was he okay? Was he even alive?  
Malfoy was staring at him. Harry closed his eyes. He wasn't helping James from here and he definitely wasn't going to help him if he panicked; he had to focus. He opened his eyes and looked at Malfoy.

"Okay listen", he said. "Since the boys are not together I think that each should go find his son...and we'll meet Ron with them where we agreed".

Malfoy sighed and nodded. They looked at each other for a few seconds, not so sure of what to say, but then they just nodded and walked in different directions, making their separate ways towards their sons.

***

Scorpius had fallen asleep sitting on the cold floor of his cell in James' favorite corner. These last days had exhausted him and anyway he just couldn't keep looking at the four walls around him anymore; they were suffocating. A loud bang from outside awaked him though.  
He groaned and got up. What did they want now? But no one came in during the next seconds and he could hear voices and yelling. What was happening? He approached the door carefully, pulling his chain with him. The noise stopped. Just as he reached as close to the door as he could, it flung open.  
The boy's jaw dropped as he saw his father looking back at him. Draco sighed relieved and walked in.

"What...how...?" the boy mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked and the boy nodded.

His father patted his shoulder and then aimed at the chain with his wand.

"How did you get in?" Scorpius asked him as he looked at the fallen Death Eaters in the room next to the cell.

"Potter helped me" his father replied just as the chain around his ankle unlocked.

"What? James' dad is here too?"

"Yes", he nodded. "Come on then", he added and left the cell.

Scorpius looked at him for a few seconds. What did he expected? A hug? The boy sighed and followed his father.

***

Harry walked the dark hallway fast. According to the Death Eater they Imperiused, James was in a room right around the corner. Harry could feel his heart pounding hard; finally after almost two weeks he would see his son again...yet he was really worried about the state he would be in when he would found him.  
The hallway had no windows and it was dark so when the curse was casted, it got illuminated by red light and Harry saw it and ducked, avoiding it. He raised his wand and turned. It was yet another familiar villain.

"Rockwood", Harry said and the man nodded.

"Potter". he smiled. "How did you get in?"

"I've got a more important question...how did you get out?"

"From Azkaban?"

"Yeah...according to our records the only Death Eater that escaped Azkaban was Dolohov", Harry said.

"Oh, then your records are really, really wrong", the man smiled. "I suspect you're here to get the boy?"

"Yeah...so I'd advised you to get the hell out of my way", Harry said and the man answered with another curse, which Harry casted away.  
"Well, I take it you're not going to follow my advice".

And the dueling began. Rockwood was a really powerful Death Eater but Harry was a really powerful auror. The hallway kept getting illuminated by red and green lights as the two men kept fighting and soon they were both bleeding. Harry had a cut on his cheek and his lower lip and Rockwood's left hand was hanging useless by his side full of blood. Just as another stunning curse was coming his way Harry looked up. He avoided it and aimed at the part of the ceiling above Rockwood's head. Rockwood jumped on the side so he didn't get killed but the crash on the wall was enough to get him to faint. And the dueling ended.  
Harry took some deep breaths and tied Rockwood up with ropes that emerged from his wand. Then without any farther delaying he run around the corner. The hallway ended to that room. Feeling his heart ready to break he blasted the door open. The room was rather big but he spotted James at once tied up in a chair. His eyes widened. He was there but...

***

Scorpius was running behind his father on a big road behind the castle. They had made it out but now the boy had no idea of where they were going. Soon though they've reached a small park near the castle. Hidden behind a bunch of trees was big, black jeep and a redheaded man that Scorpius knew to be Rose's father was leaning against it. Scorpius couldn't understand how Mr. Weasley and his father had actually agreed to do this together, since he knew for a fact that they didn't get along very well, but at this very moment he found out that he was far too exhausted to give much thought to it.

"Where are Harry and James?" Ron asked as they reached him.

"They're not here yet?" Draco said trying to catch his breath and the red headed man looked at him alarmed.

"No they're not here yet!" he exclaimed. "Why aren't they with you?"

"The boys weren't together. We agreed that each of us should go and get his son and that we'll meet back here again", Draco explained and Ron sighed concerned.

"Is your son okay?" he asked looking at the boy.

"I'm fine, thanks" Scorpius nodded and Ron smiled and looked back at Draco.

"You reckon Harry fell on Death Eaters?" he asked him worried.

"Well, even if he did he's an auror, he can deal with them. I'm sure he'll be here in no time...with the boy", Draco said but something in his voice made Ron even more worrying.

"What are you hiding? I can tell you're hiding something...''

"It's just...the Death Eater we questioned in order to find where the boys were being held said something..."

"What?" Ron asked getting more and more alarmed.

"He said that Potter's son was in some trouble or something...", Draco said.

"They're mad with him", Scorpius said and the two men looked at him. "We were in the same cell, but then James stole Yaxley's keys and we broke out but James' leg got stuck somewhere and he couldn't move and he told me to get back to the cell but...but he got caught", the boy explained.

Ron had closed his eyes, feeling his heart drop in every word.

"Oh, please God let him be alive!" Ron groaned and Scorpius couldn't help but wish the same thing in his mind.

Draco looked at the car.

"We send you to rent a car and you're coming back with a monster!" he said slightly in order to change the subject.

"If you don't like it, don't get in it!" Ron snapped irritated.

"Why do we need a car? Why can't we just apparate? I mean you can take us along", Scorpius said confused.

"Because there is a chance that once the Death Eaters realize that you're gone they're gonna put on tracking spells and they can track you more easily if you have just apparated, especially since you're underage", Draco explained.

"Oh, okay", the boy nodded. "So...um...where are we?"

"Austria, Salzburg", his father replied.

"Wow...that far huh? How are we going to get back?"

"We're gonna get to a shelter kind of a house the aurors have here in Salzburg and then we'll work that out", Ron said and then he looked back at the castle. "That's if Harry gets here at some point", he added worried.

***

Harry was staring at the form of his son without being able to move from the shock. The boy was unconscious in the middle of the room. He was a...a mess. His hands were tied up on the arms of the chair with thick thorny wires that had gotten into his flesh and was slowly cutting his veins, blood soaking the wooden arms of the chair. His eyes were bruised and his mouth was gagged with a cloth that was tied behind his head, blood dripping down the corner of his lips. His leg was bleeding too and it looked broken judging from the ubnormal corner it had taken. His clothes were ripped in places and full of blood, since apparently he had cuts and bruises all over his body. They must have been torturing him for hours.  
Harry was staring at his son horrified. He had seen a lot of things in his life but this...this was certainly the worst, the most appalling, the most sickening spectacle he had ever seen. His Jamie...his little arrogant and stubborn brat, who always wanted things to go his way; who was always full of confidence; who always laughed the problems away. How could he laugh this away though? Harry felt his stomach turning like he was about to throw up. Who would do such a thing to a teenage boy?  
He shook his head, trying to get over the shock and then he run to him. He knelt in front of the boy, his eyes welling up. The boy had lost so much blood that was now as pale as a dead man. But he wasn't dead; no, he could hear him breathing; faintly and with difficutly, but he breathed. He placed his hands on his face. He was burning with fever.

"Jamie wake up", he said, tears running down his face. "Wake up", he said again but the boy wasn't stirring.

Harry wiped his tears and looked at him. He had to get him out of this place. He reached up and untied the cloth from behind his head, gently taking it out the boy's mouth. Next thing he would have to get these things off his hands. He pointed his wand at James' right hand and whispering incantations he slowly cut the wire. He left his wand by his side and carefully tried to pul the wire from his son's flesh; his hands filled with blood. It took him some minutes to free James' hand; the wire had gotten really deep. He took his wand and did the same with his other hand until both of the boy's hands were free.  
He didn't dare to use spells on him in order to heal him; healing a bruise was one thing and healing numerous cuts, bruises and wounds was a whole another. What if he hurt him more? He had to take him to the auror house and use some essence of dittany on him. He placed his hands on his bruised face again, feeling it burn.

"What have they done to you?" he whispered. "Come on, let's get you out of here", he added in spite the fact that the boy couldn't hear him.

He placed his hands around his son's legs and back and pulled the boy on him. The boy's head fell on his shoulder and he felt his breath on his cheek. Harry stood up and carried his son out of that place.

***

"Maybe we should go look for them",Ron said.

About fifteen minutes had gone by since Malfoy arrived and there was  
still no sign of Harry and James.

"No I don't think we should", Draco said and Ron looked at him outraged.

"Oh, you don't, do you? Look buddy, I don't care if you care, that man in there helped you take your kid back and..."

"It's not gonna help of we go and get ourselves caught, Ron!"

"So we're just gonna leave them in there?"

"Harry will find a way out...eventually", Draco shrugged.

Ron narrowed his eyes ready to punch him.

"Oh, my God!" Scorpius, who was standing between them, exclaimed.

They both looked at him.

"What?" Draco asked confused.

The boy pointed and the two men turned to see.

"Oh, my God!" Ron said as well as he saw Harry coming carrying the unconscious body of his son in his arms.

Ron ran to him.

"Why is James unconscious?" he asked approaching him. "Oh, my God!" he repeated when he reached him and looked down at the boy.

Ron felt his stomach turning with unease. He was a mess...where he wasn't bleeding he had bruises. He looked at Harry; his friend looked devastated.  
They reached the jeep and Ron run to open the back door so Harry could place the boy in. Draco glanced at the boy and then he turned away rather indifferently and sat in the front seat. Scorpius however was staring at the boy scared. He never thought that...if he knew what the Death Eaters would do to him, he'd never have left him.  
Harry left his son on the seat carefully. Then he went all the way around and got in from the other side, taking James in his hug. Scorpius sat in the magically extended front seat with his father and Ron sat in the driver's seat.

"Where are we going Harry?" Ron asked him and the man looked at him confused. "Maybe we should go to a hospital or something..." he explained.

"No", Harry said shaking his head. "Go back to the auror house...there's dittany there".

Ron nodded and set the engine on. Harry turned his full attention back to James. He almost couldn't believe that it was him; he couldn't believe that it was his son the one that was unconscious from the pain; he couldn't believe that it was his Jamie the bled like hell on the seats and his clothes; yet he could see his real face beneath all the bruises. They had to hurry; the deep cuts in his hands were bleeding more now that the wires were out and Harry knew that the wire must have cut some of the boy's veins. He couldn't keep bleeding that much...he had already lost so much blood that his face had turned even more white than before if possible and Harry knew that if they didn't make it back to the auror house in time, the boy wouldn't hold...


	8. Chapter 8: Lion's Promise

Chapter 8

They had reached the small house half an hour later and Ron helped Harry carry the still unconscious boy inside, while Draco and his son trailed behind them. They placed the boy on the only bed and Harry ran to the bathroom and came out seconds later holding a bottle of dittany. He knelt by the bed and looked at the others.

"Ron, someone should go bring some woods for the fireplace; it could get cold at night", he said and Ron nodded.

"Now, wait a minute", Draco interrupted. "What night? Patch up the boy and we'll get going!"

"We can't", Harry said shaking his head. "Even if I manage to stop the bleeding, I don't thik he would take the trip...at least not until tomorrow".

"So we'll spend the night here? It's a safety house for one person and we're five!"

"Look, you can leave if you want!" Ron snapped irritated.

"No", Scorpius said. "No, we'll stay and help".

"What?" Draco exclaimed looking at his son raising his eyebrows.

"Please father...they've helped us", the boy said and his father rolled his eyes and grunted.

"Fine!" he replied exasparated and Ron beamed at Scorpius. "Come on, then" he added elbowing the boy out.

"Where are we going?"

"You wanted to help, so move it, we'll go find woods", he said and the boy followed him outside.

Ron turned to Harry.

"How did he get to have a child like that, is beyond me", he said. "I'll go to the city to get food or you need me to help you with James?"

"No, it's okay", Harry nodded, carefully putting some dittany on the boy's bleeding wrist. "I don't think that two of us can do anything more than one of us...plus I'm sure that he could use some food when he wakes up".

If he wakes up...Ron thought, but then pushed that horrible idea out of his head, gave an encouraging nod to his best friend and left the house with one last look of concern to James. Harry didn't even notice; he was examining James' hand. The dittany had thankfully stopped the bleeding and the cuts seemed several days old. He sighed relieved and took his other hand.  
Half an hour, one and a half bottle of dittany and several healing spells later, James was in a much better condition. Harry had mended his leg completely, his broken nose and the bruises under his eyes. However he was so weak by the loss of blood that his father didn't dare to use more spells on him in order to heal the bruises and the cuts on his torso. And he still hadn't waken up.  
He was kind of feverish and Harry had placed a cloth on his forehead, which he soaked in cold water every now and then. Now he was cleaning the dirt and the dried blood off the boy's face with a napkin, trying his best not to aggravate the scratches and cuts on his face. As he replaced the cloth on his head, Harry took his son's sore and raw hand. It was still scarred and Harry rather thought that it will stay like this for some time.  
It seemed unbelievable to Harry. He had seen a lot of horrible things in his line of work but never had he thought that one of his kids would get to be subjected to something like this; and it still hadn't completely hit him. Harry thought that he would find it rather hard to control himself when he really did understand exactly what they did to his son. He sighed and then squeezed the boy's hand.

"Jamie" , he said. "Jamie, wake up".

The boy moved and Harry caressed his clean from bruises and dirt now cheek with his other hand.

"Come on son, wake up", he said again and the boy blinked.

Harry felt his heart lose a beat as James' hazel eyes met his. The boy looked at him for a while and Harry wasn't sure if he realized who he was or what was happening. After some moments though he let out a scream and sat up quickly terrified.

"Jamie..." Harry started but as he placed his hand on his shoulder the boy flinched and shrugged it off and started fighting against him clearly unable to realize who Harry was or where he was. "James, stop..." he said trying to catch his hands, as the boy was trying to hit him and stand up at the same time.

"LET GO!" the boy yelled with a hoarse voice.

"James, it's me!" Harry yelled.

"LET GO OF ME!" he yelled again trying to free his hands from Harry's grasp and this time there was the hint of pleading in his voice.

Harry exhaled and against his better judgement he pulled his boy in his hug, rubbing his back as he fought to free himself.

"Please, let me go", the boy sobbed hitting his captor's chest with his fists but Harry only held him more tightly and after a while he started calming down.

When Harry felt it was safe, he let go of the boy and looked at him as he was finally catching up with reality.

"What...where...dad?" he said in his rasped voice looking around and then at his father with eyes widened from fright and surprise.

"It's okay...you're okay..." Harry said but the boy didn't calm.

Harry felt his chest clench as he noticed how fiercely the boy was trembling, while tears seemed to be forming at the corners of his eyes.

"The Death Eaters...what...how...?" he mumbled while he breathed fast looking around; his eyes were welling up.

Harry stood on his knees and placed his hands on the boy's shoulder and face.

"It's okay; you're not in that castle anymore. You're safe now", he said soothignly and James closed his eyes taking deep breaths.

"We're not in the castle anymore?" he asked when he opened his eyes.

"No", Harry replied shaking his head.

"It's over?"

"Yes", Harry nodded and the boy let out a sob and hugged him again.

Harry was holding him tight as the boy cried in his hug. In spite the fact that the boy was shaking with sobs, Harry couldn't help but feeling relieved that he seemed okay and that he was finally safe. He almost couldn't believe that he had him there talking and moving and breathing. He was alive; battered, tortured, scarred but alive. After some minutes James calmed down and let go of him; his eyes red and his cheeks wet from the tears.

"Better now?" Harry smiled and the boy nodded.

"Water", he croaked and Harry got up, only to return in a few seconds with a goblet full of water.

James took it gingerly and tried to bring it to his lips, but his damaged hands were trembling too much, so Harry helped him drink it. After James had sipped the goblet dry, Harry tossed it aside and looked at the boy, waiting for him to say something again; but the boy wasn't looking at him.

"Dad..." he whispered shakily at last, with his eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm sorry".

Harry didn't understand why he said that at first but then he realized that they hadn't talked to each other since their big fight, that day that James had ran away. He shook his head; the last thing he wanted to hear from the boy right now was an apology.

"James, let's just..."

"No", James interrupted him. "No, let me tell you please. All...all I could think about was that I'm gonna die in there and that I'd never have the opportunity to...to apologize to you", he said still avoiding to look him in the eyes.

"James, you don't need to..." Harry started feeling that if someone should be apologizing it should be him.

It was his fault that James got caught and it was because he was his father that they had tortured him so badly; to Harry every bruise and every cut on the boy hurt ten times worse than if they were on his own body.

"No, I do", the boy said determinded; his voice shaking and new tears shining at the corners of his eyes. "I...I never meant to yell at you the way I did. I'm so sorry for what I said...and I'm sorry for going through your stuff and for running away...and I want you to know that I...I never wanted...I don't know why I said it...it's not true...I don't...I don't hate you dad, I never did...and I'm so sorry for saying this to you...I'm sorry..."

Harry sighed and took the boy's face in his hands, raising it up, so that he would finally look at him in the eyes.

"Jamie, it's okay, really", he said but the boy shook his head.

"It's not okay", he said. "I don't know why I am such a jerk; I only..."

"You're not", Harry said. "You just wanted something so much that you couldn't think of anything else".

"I wish I could take it back", the boy said, tears running down his already wet face and on Harry's hands. "I wish you could...you could forget it...you could forgive me..."

"I have forgotten it and I sure as hell have forgiven you", Harry said and the boy managed to give him a watery smile.

"Really?"

"Really", Harry nodded. "How couldn't I?"

"I thought that you'd be too angry with me and that you wouldn't want to come and save me from the Death Eaters".

"What?" Harry said in disbelief. "Jamie, how could you possibly think that? I would never leave you to them. No matter what we say to each other, you're still my son, you'll always be my son; either you like it or not", he finished with a smile.

"I'm sorry...for everything", the boy said again.

"I'm sorry too", Harry said taking his hands into his. "I'm sorry you went through all of that because of me...I won't let them touch you ever again, I promise".

"And I promise never to yell at you again", James said and Harry supressed his urge to sneer.

"Don't give promises, you can't keep", he said. "You're a teenager, if you don't yell at your parents, who are you gonna yell at?"

"But..."

"Let's just promise never to hurt each other...not deliberately at least", Harry said and the boy nodded.

"I promise", he said and his father smiled broadly.

"Lion's promise?" he said and James laughed; his smile in total contradiction with his watering eyes.

Harry smiled at him as he pushed the hair back from his face and wiped the tears from his cheeks, just as some new ones fell on his hands.

"Lion's promise", he whispered back and Harry felt his chest filling with affection for his son.

They stayed like this for a few seconds but then the boy gasped and Harry took his hand off of his face in fear that he would lose it again and start fighting against him like he was a Death Eater.

"What?"

"Dad, they had Scorpius too...you know, Malfoy's son? We have to..."

"He's okay", Harry stopped him hastily, feeling relieved. "His father was with me...they've gone to bring some woods for the fireplace and Ron is in the city for some food".

The boy fell silent for a few moments taking in all the information; his headache wasn't helping.

"Which city?" he asked finally.

"Salzburg...it's in Austria".

"When are we going home?" James asked.

"Tomorrow morning. I figured that it would be best for you to rest tonight", his father said.

"No, dad, I want to go home, can't we go home now?" James demanded; he sounded childish but he didn't care, he didn't want to spend another moment so close to that castle.

"Jamie, you've lost too much blood...you're too weak to take a trip like this", Harry said but the boy shook his head.

"No, I'm okay, look..." he argued and before his father could stop him, he stood up.

The next moment the world was spinning around him, he couldn't control his legs and if his father hadn't grabbed him, he would have ended up on the floor. Harry helped him back on the bed and looked at him with exasperation, as the boy groaned closing his eyes.

"Why can't you just listen to me for once?" Harry asked and James shrugged, while rubbing his temple.

"I'm stubborn?" he suggested and his father laughed.

"You don't say", he said ironically. "We'll go home tomorrow...until then you need to rest", he said strictly and the boy sighed.

"Fine", he nodded defeated.

Then his eyes fell on his hands and he stared at the deep scars on them.

"They'll go away after a while", Harry said in a low voice as the boy felt the scars on his right hand with his left.

James just nodded silently; his eyes seemed unfocused and his father realized that he was replaying in his mind eye how the scars had happened to him. Harry bit his lower lip, got up from the floor and sat next to him, placing his arm around his son's shoulders and pulling him into an embrace, feeling relieved that the boy didn't resist it.

"It'll be okay", he whispered stroking the boy's hair soothingly and James looked up at him.

"I know", he said quietly.

"I'm proud of you, Jamie", Harry said and the boy's eyes widened.

"You are?"

"Yes, you are the bravest fifteen year old I've ever met", he smiled but the boy shook his head in disagreement.

"I'm not brave", he said. "I was...I was scared and terrified in there and..."

"Jamie, fear doesn't make you a coward, it makes you human", Harry said. "True courage is not the absence of fear; it's the willingness to proceed in spite of it, to stand tall and I know you did", he said.

"You're never afraid of anything", James argued and Harry couldn't help but laugh a bit at that.

"That's what you think?" he asked then and when James nodded he only shook his head, his face becoming serious. "Jamie...while they had you, this whole week...I was terrified; terrified that I wouldn't find you alive, that I wouldn't get to you on time. And today...when I found you, for a moment I thought I got there too late and trust me that moment I was more scared than you can possibly imagine".

"You almost did get there too late", the boy muttered and Harry felt his heart drop, making him hold the boy more tightly to his chest.

"I'm so sorry", he said and James' eyes widened.

"No...that wasn't what I meant", he said terrified that he had been misunderstood.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm sorry".

"For what? Saving my life?"

"For everything you went through", Harry clarified, placing his palm on the side of the boy's face.

And at that moment he realized just how close he had come into losing it all. His son's life, his family's peacefull life, his world. He knew that if it had taken him a quarter more to get to James it would have been too late, he would have bled to death and the thought of it just was insufferable. During the time when Voldemort was at large, Harry had lost many pieces of his heart that he held dear; his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred, Remus and Tonks and the list just went on. He just didn't think he had enough pieces left to give any of them away, without completely going mad himself.

"Dad..." James said getting out of his hug to fully look at him. "Dad, I'm fine. Well...maybe I'm not exactly fine right now, but I will be, I promise".

Harry smiled at him and nodded. Yes, he would be fine, that much Harry knew. It sure would take him time to get over this, but eventually he would.

"I know", Harry said. "You're a strong kid; you'll be great, not just fine".

James smiled at his father and allowen him to hug him agan.

"I love you, dad", he said then.

"I know", the man smiled back, kissing the top of his son's head. "I love you too".

Scorpius was watching them through the window from outside. It was cold outside but he didn't want to get in and ruin their reunion. He turned and looked at his father, who was carrying a bunch of wooden sticks and sighed; one and a half hour in the forest and they hadn't say a meaningful word to each other. Then he looked back at the two Potters and his mind drifted back to something James had said when they were locked in the cell: how people have that weird tendency to want what they can't and won't have...


	9. Chapter 9: Family Affair

Chapter 9 - Family Affair

"Hey", Scorpius said as he came in.

Harry had just gone out to help Draco and James was leaning against some pillows on the bed. He lifted his head to look at him.

"Hey", James smiled as the boy sat in an chair, across from him.

"So are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine", James shrugged.

Scorpius tried not to stare at James' bruises but he really couldn't help it, they were everywhere on the boy's face, even after all the dittany his father had used on him. He was rather clammy and just by looking at him you could tell that he was too weak and tired to stand on his feet; it was easy to tell that he had been crying as well. He knew that James would never admit it but it was evident that he was far from fine and Scorpius couldn't help but feel shame for abandoning him rush through him.

"James, if I knew what they'd...I...I wouldn't have left..." Scorpius said apologetically and James rolled his eyes.

"Why? So you'd be hurt as well? How would that have helped me, Scorpius?"

"Yes, but..."

"It's okay", James stopped him and the boy laughed.

"You just can't stand it when someone has more interesting things to say than you do, can you?" he said mockingly, knowing that, that was exactly what James needed at the moment.

"Oh, shut up!" James said and threw a pillow at him, which Scorpius caught in the air and threw back at him. "Dude! I'm still hurt!" James exclaimed, avoiding the pillow. "How can you be throwing pillows at an injured man?" he added laughing.

"Oh, that is so dramatic!" Scorpius smirked ironically. "So, did you hear?"

"What?"

"We're in Austria...Salzburg", Scorpius said.

"Yeah, my dad told me...so what?"

"So what? Well, if you leave out the Death Eaters aren't you excited to be in Mozart's hometown?"

"Who's Mozart?" James asked and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Oh, my God! How can you be a musician and also be musically ignorant at the same time?"

"He's a musician? Then how don't I know him? Wait...he's a Muggle?" James asked.

"Well, yeah he was, but..."

"Then how would I know him? How do you know him anyway?"

"Hello, Muggle Studies!" Scorpius said waving at him.

"I'm not taking that lesson", James shrugged.

"I do, but don't tell my father. Anyway, still you're supposedly a singer and a guitarist", Scorpius pointed out.

"Supposedly?" James repeated narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, Mozart is a legend of music and you don't..."

"I know all about music in the magical world, if you have to know!" James said irritated.

"You know...I'm gonna miss arguing with you", Scorpius smiled and James looked at him with his left eyebrow raised.

"Don't worry we'll have a lot of time to do that at school", he said and Scorpius looked at him.

"James, we don't talk at school", he pointed out and James smiled.

"No, we didn't talk at school", he corrected him. "You won't get rid of me so easily, now that I know how fun is to tease you...and given the fact that you're friends with my brother I'd be able to mock both of you together!" James said but Scorpius didn't laugh, instead he looked at him seriously.

"You mean it or did you just bang you head too hard?" he asked.

"Well, as a matter of fact I did bang my head too hard, but I mean it. Believe it or not, after all of these, I actually came to like you", James said seriously and Scorpius smiled.

"So, I take it that you've changed your mind about Slytherins?" the boy asked James.

"Not really", he replied shaking his head. "I just decided to add you to my list".

"List? What list?"

"The Slytherins I do not hate list", James explained with casualty.

"Oh, you really do live in your own little world, don't you?" Scorpius said sarcastically.

"No, it's more like that this right here is my world and the rest of you just happen to live in it, so I won't be getting bored", James corrected him with a rather serious face, which only made Scorpius laugh more.

"You really are crazy!" he said when he stopped laughing.

"Well, thank you", James said narrowing his eyes again just as Harry and Draco came in, followed by Ron. "Uncle Ron!" James exclaimed.

"Hey, there's my favorite nephew!" Ron smiled and walked over to him.

"Out of the six billion nephews you have in our family? I'm honored!" James chuckled, hugging his uncle. "Where's the food?"

Ron laughed and opened his backpack.

"Well, I got you hotdogs and chocolate!"

"Hotdogs and chocolate? How are those two related?" Draco asked taking a box with chocolates.

"Well, they're really hot for hotdogs around here, but the whole city was also filled with little shops that sold chocolates, so..." Ron shrugged.

"Who's the old man on the box?" Draco asked.

"It's Mozart", Harry and Scorpius said together.

"Whatever", James said. "I'm famished".

"Yeah, me too", Ron nodded. "We should have eaten something in that strip club because my stomach is so empty that..."

"Wait", James interrupted him. "What strip club? You went to a strip club?"

"Yeah, because that was where Dolohov send a letter from...that's how we found you", Harry explained.

"I have only one thing to say", Ron said seriously. "You two are really lucky that I went with them, because they couldn't take their eyes off the stripping ladies".

"Ron!" Harry exclaimed.

"Dad!" James exclaimed back before his uncle could say anything.

"Don't believe him...he's lying!" Harry said angrily. "About me at least!" he added turning to look at Draco.

"Yeah, he is", Draco nodded. "I behaved and you...well, I'm sorry Harry, but you couldn't stop drooling!" he said to Harry, whose mouth fell open.

"Wow, dad, seriously? What's mum gonna say?" James asked.

"Don't listen to them!" Harry shouted. "Ron, tell him the truth!" he demanded.

"I can't...Draco already said it", the man shrugged.

"I did", Draco nodded.

"Okay, just so you know, the only thing that stops me from committing a double murder right now, it's that I cannot decide whom I should kill first!"

"You shouldn't kill us...how are you gonna go back to the strip club if get locked up in Azkaban?" Draco asked.

"I'm not gonna go back!" Harry yelled outraged. "You two were the ones who were drooling! I wasn't even in the stripping room! I was upstairs with that Monica!"

"Upstairs with a woman in a strip club", Ron said to James.

"Wow!" James exclaimed.

"Ron!" Harry yelled. "Stop saying nonsense to my son!"

"But Harry you always say that we shouldn't lie to kids!"

"Ron!"

"It's okay dad...I'm not gonna tell mum", James said reassuringly.

"What? You believe him?" Harry asked.

"Well...", the boy said raising his shoulders.

His father hit his foot on the floor and James burst into laughing.

"Sorry, uncle, I couldn't help it", he said to Ron.

"It's okay; he was ready to hex me anyway!"

"You guys had agreed to play me? When did that happen?'

"A wink was enough for me to play along, dad", James shrugged.

"Oh, really?" Harry said and before either of them could react he had hit each of them with a pillow.

"Ouch! Why are you people keep hitting me with pillows? I'm hurt for God's sake!" James said dramatically.

"Hey, my pillow didn't get you", Scorpius reminded him and the boy stung out his tongue at him.

Harry though threw Ron off the bed and then pushed James back on it.

"You're right; you are still hurt", Harry nodded. "You need to rest and we should be ashamed for stretching you!" he added giving Ron a murderous look.

"What? Come on, dad, I was joking!" James said indignantly trying to sit up again but Harry kept him lying down.

"Yes, but I'm not", he said warningly.

"If you don't want the bed, maybe somebody else should..." Draco interrupted but stopped when Harry looked at him angrily. "Well, okay, where the rest of us are going to sleep?"

"We can sleep in the car", Ron suggested. "It's big enough for the four of us".

"What?" James said worriedly; he didn't want to be left alone.

"No, I'll stay here with Jamie", Harry said and the boy sighed relieved.

"Okay then", Draco said as he ate a hotdog. "And by the first light we're out of here!"

A while later, Ron, Draco and his son had gone off to sleep in the car, leaving Harry and James back. Harry was still cleaning off the mess they left behind and James was watching him lying on the bed.

"Dad?" he said hesitantly.

"What?" Harry asked, immediately averting his eyes to his son with an alarmed look on his face, ypon hearing the tone on his son's voice.

James wanted to say something and yet he seemed unable to find words to do so. Harry stopped everything he was doing, walked around the table and knelt down beside the bed; his head slightly over James and his pillow.

"What is it?" he asked him again unable to shake the alarm off his voice.

James sighed.

"Dolohov...he said...he said that Apostollo wanted me to join them".

"What?" Harry said incredulously. "Why?"

"He said that it would be the best way to hurt...well, you", James replied.

Harry didn't respond to that, but he couldn't help but agree with it. Just the mere thought of it made his stomach turn. No matter the times they argued, Harry was proud for every single one of his kids, the concept of one of them turning into a Death Eater, was dispicable to him.

"So, what if, since I didn't agree, they go for Al or Lily next time?" James asked him concerned.

"That's what you're worrying for?" Harry asked him and the boy nodded.

Harry shook his head rubbing the boy's arm, somewhat relieved.

"Ever since they took you, we doubled the protection around our house, there is no way that they'll be able to get in or get to any of you again".

"Right", James nodded rolling over to his back to stare at the ceiling. "And it's not like they'll be so stupid as to run off, like I did".

"Jamie", Harry said shaking his head. "You can't blame yourself for what happened; it wasn't your fault".

"Well, whose fault was it then?" James challenged him.

Harry bit the inside of his bottom lip, knowing that he couldn't say 'mine' and expect James to agree with it.

"Theirs", he said. "They're the only ones to blame that we can't live our lives properly and that's why we have to stop them".

"I would never have joined them", James declared vehemently turning to him again.

Harry smiled at him, his chest filling with pride.

"I know", he said and then he got up, picked up the blanket and covered the boy with it. "Get some rest, you need it".

"Where are you going to sleep?" James asked him.

"On the armchair", Harry replied pointing at the small, armchair at the corner of the little house.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with the others? I'll be okay", James lied easily, while wishing that his father wouldn't accept the offer.

"No, it's okay", Harry shook his head. "I want to stay with you".

"Dad?"

"What?" Harry asked as he sat in the armchair.

"Thank you", James muttered, but before Harry had a chance to reply, the boy had drifted off into sleep.

The first thing James felt as he woke up was a sharp pain in the pit of his stomach. He pursed his lips together and kept his eyes closed, willing the nausea away but he kept feeling like thowing up. Suddenly a hand gripped his shoulder and he flinched at the unexpected touch, forgetting his nausea. He bolted right up, ready to come face to face with Dolohov and Yaxley and the rest of the Death Eaters.

"Hey, it's me, calm down".

James allowed himself to take a deep breath as he realized he was looking at his father's face and not some Death Eater. And as the events of the previous day came back to him, so did his nausea. He clutched his stomach with one hand and placed the other over his mouth, feeling like all the hot dogs he ate last night were going to come out of him.

"Drink this", Harry said, placing a small vial with a dark blue liquid under his nose.

He shook his head negatively, sure that if he opened his mouth it would be to puke, but as his dad didn't take it away, he gulped back the acid that had climbed up his throat and allowed his father to shove the liquid in his mouth. Instantly, his nausea went away and his head cleared, allowing him to take a breath of relief. Thank goodness for potions.

"How did you know I'd be sick?" he asked his father.

"Well, I figured the Death Eaters weren't exactly serving you a five star restaurant menu and after all you ate last night your stomach would be upset", Harry explained. "Plus, Scorpius already threw up, when he woke up", he added and James chuckled.

"So I guess I was lucky I didn't wake up first".

"I guess so", Harry smiled and then he reached inside his robes and retrieved another vial, this time with a red liquid inside. "You need to drink this as well".

James eyed the small vial, but took the potion anyway and after opening the tap, he gulped it down, his face immediately scrunching up with disgust at the horrible taste.

"What was that?" he asked, giving the empty vial back to his father.

"A Blood Replenishing Potion", Harry replied. "I know, its taste is horrible".

"Horrible? It tastes like ar..."

"You needed it, no matter what it tasted like", Harry cut him, before he could finish his sentence. "Now, are you hungry?"

"Um...really, really no", the boy replied. "I don't want to throw up anymore but the nauseating feeling is still with me".

"It's okay. By the time we'll get home your nausea will have completely wore off and your mum will be able to feed you anything you like", Harry smiled.

"When are we leaving?" the boy asked anxiously.

"In a while", Harry replied sitting next to him on the bed. "I want to take a look on those cuts on your torso".

"Why? Can't it wait till we get home so Teddy can look at them?" James asked with resentment in his voice, but nevertheless complied and lifted his shirt over his head.

"I just want to make sure apparition will be safe enough for you", Harry explained, considering him.

He was still a mess, no matter the amount of dittany Harry had used yesterday. There was a rather big gash across his chest, that was circled by other small cuts, though thankfully none of them bled anymore. He also had some bruises running along his ribcase and stomach, but since he was able to sit up and breathe just fine, Harry guessed that there wasn't anything broken. Slowly turning the boy around to check on his back, Harry was forced to stiff a groan at the sight of the nasty bruises that littered it. The ones on his front were obviously made by kicks on the boy's abdomen, but these ones were spreading down his back, a dark shade of red and black and Harry knew that no fist or leg could have made those; they had beaten him up with something else.

"Dad?" James asked uneasily after a few moments of silence. "I know I am more fit than you, but that's no reason to be astonished", he added, receiving only a small smile from his father at his joke.

Harry dug his nails into his palms to keep himself from cursing out loud, feeling his insides boiling with hatred for a man he didn't even know, the man who was behind his son's abduction and torturing, Apostollo.

He shook his head in order to clear it, knowing that right now James needed him to be helpful and not angry. Carefully, he placed his hand at the boy's side, checking to make sure no rib was broken and making James flinch. When to his relief he found none, he shook his wand above the bruises there and they seemed to get absorved by it, leaving behind only clean and unscathed skin. This time when Harry put pressure on the boy's side, he didn't flinch, instead he looked down in amazement.

"Whoa, they're gone!" James exclaimed. "It doesn't hurt anymore! If it was so easy then why didn't you do it last night?"

"You were too weak and your body could have reacted bad to the use of magic on it; like it would react if you were under the cruciatus curse, even if I just attempted to heal some bruises", Harry replied. "Don't you think that if healing was such a simple thing every wizard would excel in it and we wouldn't need any Healers?"

"How come you know so much about it?"

"Auror training", Harry answered. "But still my knowledge is only basic, which is why I don't want to attempt anything on your back, it might damage your spiral cord", he added.

He hated having to leave the boy with those bruises for a moment more, but he knew the chances and he really didn't want to hurt his son more.

"So we're done?" James asked, anxious to pull his shirt back on; he didn't like the way his father's eyes had darkened at the sight of the injuries he hadn't seen yesterday and he didn't want him to start blaming himself again.

"In a sec", Harry said. "Let me take a look at that gash first".

James allowed his father to turn him towards him again and Harry, after he summoned what was left of the second bottle of dittany from the table, soaked a cloth with it and begun dabbing at the deep cut across the boy's chest. The motion felt oddly comforting to the boy, even if it stung a little bit and James felt more grateful than ever for his father; he couldn't believe that he had ever told him that he hated him. The dittany cleaned the gash and shrunk it considerably, though it still needed to be taken care of when they arrived home; something Teddy should get onto, in case there was some infection.

"There", Harry said when he was done, placing the empty now bottle on the floor.

James gave him an appreciative smile, as the pain had remarkably subsided from when he awoke and took his tattered shirt from him and pulled it on. Then, Harry pulled the boy in an embrace.

"Thanks", James muttered and his dad kissed the top of his head, like he did when he was small and he woke from some terrible dream and at that moment James found out that it wasn't so hard to pretend for a little bit that eveything was exactly that; a bad dream.

"Hey!" Ron interrupted, poking his head in through the door. "If you guys are ready, we are good to go", he informed them.

"We're going home?" James asked his father, the excitement evident in his voice, as he got out of his hug; he just couldn't wait to get as far as possible from this place.

"Yeah, we're going home", Harry nodded with a smile and grabbing his son's arms, pulled him up.

James found out to his surprise that he was way more steady on his legs than last night. Obviously, his dad had been right and staying the night had been helpful; the boy was seriously considering the possibility of actually listening to him once in a while. Harry on his part was glad to see that after a good night's sleep and some really useful potions, the color was slowly returning to James' face.

"Before we go, I want you to promise me that if you feel sick or in pain or anything that isn't right you'll tell me, okay?" Harry inquired and the boy nodded. "I'm serious, Jamie, Splinching is no fun, especially if you've lost as much blood as you did".

"Yeah, fine, I'll tell you", James nodded again impatiently. "Let's go home now!"

It was still really early in the morning when Harry, Ron and James arrived home. Draco and Scorpius had gone off to their place, but they would see them tomorrow again, because the two kids had to testify to the auror office.  
When they apparated in the kitchen, James lost his balance, but Harry held him. His face was steadily losing all the color, Harry was thankful to see returning, every time they apparated, but still when they arrived, he looked around excited.

"So here we are", Ron smiled.

"I can't believe I'm back home", James said and Harry rubbed his back.

"Believe it", he told him. "And no one is taking you away again".

James smiled at his father and nodded; his eyes welling up.

"Actually no one did take him away from here; he run away", Ron said.

"Ron!" Harry said rolling his eyes as James lowered his head; Ron bit his lower lip.

Harry gave him an exasperate look before turning to James again.

"So what do you say we go find your mum?" he said and James' face brightened almost immediately.

"Yeah, okay", he nodded. "But she will be sleeping".

"Oh, I'm sure she'd want us to wake her up", Harry said and led the boy  
upstairs as Ron drifted to his and Hermione's room. "Stay here", Harry told his son and he opened the door.

He walked in to find Ginny sleeping on his side of the bed, her red hair falling on her face. Harry smiled and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He leaned down so that his face was so close to hers that her warm breath landed on his neck.

"Gin", he whispered stroking her cheek. "Ginny".

She blinked scared by the presence of someone else, but when she saw the bright green eyes above her, she smiled.

"Harry!" she said hugging him, as she was sitting up.

Harry hugged her back but after a few seconds she let go of him and smacked him on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You've been gone for almost two days! I've been worrying sick!" she said angrily.

"Oh, come on Gin, I was looking for something to lead me to our son", he said.

"So did you find anything?" she asked with craving in her voice.

He smiled.

"Well, yeah, I did find something..." he said and kissed her, before she could ask him what.

"That's gross", a voice said and Ginny turned to see James standing at the door.

Her eyes widened in shock and then she screamed and ran to him.

"JAMES!" she exclaimed hugging him tightly. "Oh, honey, you're here! You're back! Are you okay?" she asked letting go of him, to really look at him.

She frowned almost immediately upon seeing his pale face and the bags under his eyes. It was her son and yet he didn't look at all like her James. He looked like he had been through hell and she could only guess that he had and the reassuring nod he gave her did nothing to soothe her concern.

"Yeah mom I'm fine", he said, his eyes shining with tears.

She returned his smile, even if she found it hard to believe him, but then her eyes fell on his hands and on the deep scars on them and her smile turned into a furious expression.

"Your hands...oh baby, what have they done to you?" she whispered, stroking his face.

"It's okay mom", the boy shrugged. "The scars will go away by time".

"I'm gonna kill them", she said quietly shaking her head, while hot tears started running down her face.

Then she kissed his cheek and hugged him again more tightly, as if she could hug the horrors away.

"Mom, you're suffocating me!" James said laughing just as the rest of the house residents ran into the room, after obviously Ron woke them up.

Ginny let go of her son, so that the rest of them could hug him and turned to her husband, who was watching them from the bed. He smiled at her and she hugged him.

"He's...what did they do to him?" she whispered in his ear, the solemn expression he took, almost making her want to stop him from ever giving her an answer.

"We'll talk about it later",he replied. "He's gonna need us, Gin".

"He's got us", she said. "I'm never leaving him out of my sight ever again anyway".

She sat next to him and he looked at her just as Hermione was suffocating James too.

"I've been gone for two days and you've gotten bigger!" he said, managing a smile.

"Well, get used to it, because for the next six and a half months I have left until I give birth, I will be big!"

"And you'll look beautiful", he said kissing her cheek and it was her turn to try and smile. "He's gonna be okay", Harry whispered and she nodded with a sigh. "How's our little one?" he asked louder then, making James turn to look at them confused.

"What little one?" he asked.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know!" Ginny smiled.

"Know what?"

"Mum is pregnant", Albus said and James' mouth fell open.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed.

"Yep", Lily nodded. "We're gonna have another sibling!"

"That's great!" James smiled and walked to his mother, to give her another hug. "I mean it will be great if the baby isn't like Al, because having two problematic kids in the family..." he said but he didn't finish his sentence because Albus picked a pillow from the floor and threw it to him.

He avoided it and looked at his dad pulling a sad face.

"Why is everyone keep throwing pillows at me?"

***

The day that Harry came back with James nothing happened to upset them or to ruin their happiness. Almost every member of the Weasley family came by the Potter residence and they were all pretty thrilled that the boy was back. Mrs. Weasley and Roxanne just couldn't get enough of him just like his mum couldn't and he spend most of his day next to one of them, since they weren't leaving him from their eyes. He didn't mind though.  
He didn't mind being the centre of attention and he didn't mind the excess of affection he was getting from everyone. It felt right to be back home, back with the people he knew that will never hurt him and that will always care for him, back with his family. It felt like a dream; or rather everything that had happened felt like a nightmare.  
He couldn't eat properly, since the wounds on his hands didn't allow him to hold a fork or a knife. Teddy had looked at them and said that it wouldn't be healthy just to make them disappear with a spell; he could get an infection. So, he gave him an ointment, that would heal the cut by time and then he took a look at the bruises on his back.

"Son of a bitch!" Teddy exclaimed, when James took off his shirt and he saw them.

The boy shifted uncomfortably, chancing a glance at his father, the only other person in his room. Teddy had taken him upstairs to fix him and even though his mum had insisted on coming, James had managed to keep her away, but his father wasn't leaving no matter what. It wasn't the same though; his dad had already seen his cuts and bruises, his mum didn't need to, it was hard enough to see the look Teddy was giving him.

"I'd appreaciate it, if you could refrain from cursing, Teddy", Harry said sternly and the young man rolled his eyes at his godfather, but as Harry walked to James and sat on the bed, he realized that what Harry did not want was for the boy to feel worse than he already felt.

Teddy scolded himself for his slip up; he was a healer, he knew that some patients didn't want their illness or injuries acknowledged and didn't care for the sympathy. And he'd known James for all of the boy's life, of course he'd be like that.

"Sorry, James", Teddy said and approached the bed. "Would you mind laying down, so I can look at the bruises?"

The boy nodded and drag his legs on the bed, shifting around so he was laying on his stomach. Teddy sat at the edge of the bed, feeling nauseated by looking at the boy's almost all black back. He had of course seen worse in his line of work, but the patients were strangers, not James Sirius Potter, the boy he considered pretty much as a little brother.

He gulped and pressured on one of the long bruises, making the boy flinch. They were going in too deep. He lifted his head up to glance at his godfather as he too realized that no kick or punch had made this; Harry had a solemn look upon his face and Teddy guessed he was trying to hold back his own curse words.

"James, how did those happen?" Teddy asked, feeling the boy's back.

"Uh...can we not talk about it?" James said back hesitantly.

"I need to know what we're dealing with", Teddy replied, glancing at Harry again, who nodded at him; getting James to talk about it, could only relieve the boy.

"Well...uh...Dolohov had this trainee and he said he wanted to teach him how to use...uh...the glob", James replied, keeping his face hidded from them. "So he did on me".

Teddy clenched his fists in anger, as his godfather behind him gritted his teeth. Maybe this was not such a good idea after all, with them losing control how would James be able to keep his head? But as he started thinking what to do, Harry crossed the room and sat at the top of the bed, next to the boy's head and started stroking his hair. James turned his head to look at his father and they smiled at each other. At least something good had come from all these. James, who for the last couple of years had been rebellious against everything his father said or did, seemed to have made peace with him. Still though, Teddy couldn't figure how Harry could keep his cool, but he guessed that what James needed came above their anger and need to break something right now.

"Okay, James", Teddy said then, his voice still uneven, but steady enough. "Spread your arms for me, please".

The boy complied and Teddy took out his wand. After he performed some spells on his back, trying to determine exaclty how deep those bruises ran, he decided it was time to heal them. Of course, with how extensive the bruises were, the whole process was going to hurt and he needed the boy to stay perfectly still, in order to avoid damage in his spiral cord.

"Petrificus Totallus!"

Harry jumped as his godson casted the body-binding curse on James, making the boy stay competely unmoving next to him.

"It's only so he won't hurt himself while I heal his back", Teddy explained and his godfather nodded, looking down at the rigid form of his son.

As Teddy begun muttering spells, Harry looked down at the boy, still stroking his hair. It felt wrong and went against every fiber of him to keep James in such a helpless state and as he saw his son's eyes turn up at him, the only part of him that wasn't frozen, he got a bad feeling. The boy's eyes were widened in horror, his pupils dilated.

"Ted, hold on for a moment", Harry said uneasily and his godson looked up at him questiongly. "Lift the curse off of him".

"But...I haven't even really begun to..."

"Take the curse off", Harry insisted urgently, his own wand in the desk nearby but he didn't want to waste another second.

As Teddy made the circular movent with his wand, muttering the counter spell, Harry's conviction that something had gone terribly wrong was confirmed. James sat up the moment he could move, dragging his legs away from Teddy and shrinking back into his father, tears running down his face.

"James, I'm sorry", Teddy said startled to see the boy cry; James never cried. "I just wanted..."

"Stay away from me!" the boy snapped, his whole body shaking uncontrollably, as he started taking deep breaths like he was choking.

"What the...?" Teddy mumbled, as Harry grabbed the sobbing boy in his arms.

"Dolohov", Harry muttered, making James flinch at the mention of the name. "He's known to enjoy placing his victims under the body-binding curse, while torturing them, so they can't even scream for relief".

Teddy's eyes widened, as the boy shook even more violently. As he realized that what Harry just said had happened to James, he understood how terrible it must have been to be placed under the curse once again.

"James, I'm so sorry!" Teddy said horrified, touching the boy's shoulder, but he shrugged his hand off.

"Just back off, for a moment, Ted", Harry said. "I think he's having a panic attack".

Teddy's eyes widened even more in shock, but as the boy kept shaking and hyperventilating, while sweat drifted down his face along with his tears, he knew that Harry had been right. James Sirius Potter, the boy who never cried and never lost his cool, was having a panic attack...and it was all his fault.

Harry held the boy close, muttering soothing words in his ear, but he wasn't so sure that James could hear him. He only kept trying to take a breath between the heartbreaking sobs that left his mouth, as he snuggled up against him, his hold on his father tight and steady. Harry started rocking him back and forth, like he did when he was little and after a whole ten minutes, the boy finally started calming down.

When the boy stopped shaking so much and his sobs became muffled sounds, Harry turned to Teddy, who was still watching with his eyes widened in horror, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"Ted", he said. "I don't think that magically erasing the bruises is an option if it means placing James under the body-binding curse...or making him stay still any other way".

Even as he said it, the boy shuddered and Teddy nodded. The only other option would be for them to hold the boy down and he knew that his godfather would never allow that.

"I can give him an ointment for those too", he said. "It's gonna take a while, but eventually they'll go away as well".

"I think that's the best way to go", Harry nodded and jerked Teddy towards the door with a meaningful look.

"I'll go get it", Teddy said hastily standing. "I'm sorry, James", he added stopping at the door to glance at the boy, who still had his face hidden.

When the door closed, Harry pulled the boy even closer to him, one hand musing though his hair and the other wrapped around his abdomen. He had years to hold his son like that, since James was never a big fan of physical affection from his father. The last time James must have been around six or seven and had been terrified because he had given Lily a potion he had stolen from his mother's aid kit to see and he thought she had galloped it down. Apparently Lily had given it to the cat, because it looked like it was hungry. Poor kitty, couldn't stop hitting walls for three weeks later.

Coming back to the present, Harry felt James squirm beneath him uneasily and he knew the boy had come back to his senses.

"Jamie?"

The boy unlocked the death grip he had on him and slowly got out of his hug. He was still shaking and the sight of his red, sunken and lost eyes clawed mercilessly at Harry's heart.

"I...I'm sorry", he said with a small voice, looking everywhere but him.

"Don't be", Harry shook his head. "Are you okay?"

James shrugged. Now that his terror had gone away, deep, hot embarrassment flooded inside him. He was worse than a girl...on PMS...that just broke up with her boyfriend...and her cat died. All because Teddy wanted him to be still, so he could heal his wounds; and yet, just as he thought of being immobile again, he felt a shiver going down his spine.

"I'm...I'm acting like a baby", he said dabbing furiously at his eyes, that stubbornly refused to stop watering.

"You're not", Harry shook his head. "You're just shaken after everything that happened".

Harry, himself, had shed his fair amount of tears back when he was a teenager and his life was going to hell, though he had never had a panic attack. But then again even if he had gotten his share of torture, he was never sudjected to it for about a week. What James had gone through physically and emotionally was far worse. Plus, growing up with Uncle Vernon, Harry had learned early enough that grown ups didn't always treat kids good. Something that James had to reach fifteen to learn.

"I...I don't know what happened", James murmured. "I thought...it felt like...when Teddy casted the curse on me, I felt like I was going to die".

"You had a panic attack", Harry said, realizing the boy hadn't caught a word from what had been said between him and his godson.

James face turned red and Harry realized too late that it was the wrong thing to say, even if it was true. James was a proud Gryffindor, panic didn't stick well with him.

"It's a post traumatic stress disorder", Harry tried to explain. "It's only natural after everything you went though".

He was making it worse. James dragged his legs on the bed again and hid his face inside them. Harry felt stung as he realized that if before the boy had shielded away from Teddy, now he was shielding away from him too. But he wouldn't have it. He grabbed the boy's wrists, dragging his arms away from his face and making him look reluctantly at him.

"I'm sorry", the boy muttered again.

"No!" Harry said sternly. "Don't you ever dare say you're sorry again! None of these is your fault, you hear me?"

The boy bit his lower lip, but then nodded quietly.

"I'm sorry Teddy did this to you, but he didn't know", Harry went on. "You just have to remember that you're safe now, Jamie. You're home with us and we're all here for you and we all love you".

"Great", James replied scrunching up his face. "Now, _you_ aretalking to me like I'm a baby".

"Jamie...I've told you once and I'll say it again: it's okay to be afraid, as long as you don't let your fear rule your life".

"But I am, aren't I? I completely lost it...I..."

"You were shocked", Harry shook his head. "Quit feeling bad about it".

James sighed and nodded. Harry, not having missed the goose bumps that had erupted on the boy's arms, grabbed his discharged shirt and passed it to him; the boy pulled it on gratefully.

"I must have scared the crap out of Ted".

" _That_ you did", Harry grinned.

"Do you think he'll come back?" he asked looking at the door.

"Yes, but give him some minutes", Harry said and then looked at his son with a sad face. "I was right, wasn't I? Dolohov did that to you while he had you under the cruciatus, didn't he?"

A shiver went through the boy again and Harry knew that this time he wasn't cold. He looked down at his legs and nodded.

"It was horrible", James whispered. "Like the cruciatus wasn't enough by its own, he immobilized me while casting it and I couldn't move or scream or..."

But the boy didn't get to finish his sentence, because his father wrapped his arms around him again, but this time he needed it more than his son. James sighed, still unable to accept the fact that he had a panic attack. Like everything wasn't enough, all they needed now was for him to turn into somekind of a headcase who hides under the bed.

There was a small knock on the door and then Teddy walked in again, as Harry had predicted, looking highly uncomfortable.

"Hey", he said as father and son turned to look at him. "I found an ointment that will work miracles on your back", he told James and the boy smiled at him. "I'm so sorry, Jamie", he added.

"Don't ever call me 'Jamie' again and I'll forgive you", the boy grinned and Teddy grinned back at him.

"Okay, I guess your dad can be the only one to do that then", Teddy replied. "I'm really sorry though. I would have told you what I was going to do, but when it comes to healing the patient must be relaxed and I just didn't want you to tense up and..."

"Ted!" James yelled cutting him off. "It's okay, really. It wasn't because of you that I lost it".

"Jamie..." his father started.

"There's that name again!" the boy rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault", his father continued ignoring him and the boy sighed again, rubbing his eyes that felt puffy and stung.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked them both.

"Sure, what?" Teddy asked.

"Please, don't tell Al".

After that both his father and Teddy were convinced that he was back to himself. Though he wasn't sure if he'd be himself ever again. He didn't think there was going back to the person he was before they kidnapped him. But maybe his dad was right and he could turn it all around and become a better and a stronger person; though if he went around having panic attacks he didn't see that happening. Even so, the very idea of allowing Teddy to place him under the body binding curse once again seemed at least appalling to him, so he agreed to take the ointment for his wounds.

Those wounds reminded him of everything. They were like a chain around him that drew him back there, to that castle, away from this dream. The truth was though that he couldn't remember much from when he was tied up in that chair. All he remembered was blood and their laughter and pain and wishing he could be dead; still those were enough. Enough to get haunted by and enough to make him jump every time someone approached him from behind. He wished his father could cast a spell on him and erase everything but how could he ask without admitting that everything wasn't okay with him to his father or to himself? And it got worse at night.  
At night when everybody was gone he was left by his own in his room. His mum had offered to stay with him but he had sent her away. Why had he sent her away? Last night with his father sleeping in a chair next to him was different. Besides the fact that he was back home now, besides the fact that he was in his room, besides the fact that the people he most cherished slept in the bedrooms down the hall, he had never feel more vulnerable and weak.

He was covered with two blankets in spite the summer and the heat. He couldn't sleep; he wanted to, but he couldn't. He kept seeing Death Eaters emerging from the dark corners of his room and every time he closed his eyes he kept feeling hands grabbing him and his screams were echoing in his ears. Screaming...

Was he screaming now or he was just hearing himself screaming back then? He didn't know; all he knew was that if he wasn't screaming now he should be, because he felt that it would liberate him. He lay silent though; his fear and anguish building inside him. He thought what his dad said that bravery was the strength to overcome your fears; but how could he overcome this? Jokes and acting casual wouldn't help him now. And after everything he said to his dad about being able to get over it, now it seemed impossible that he would ever wake up or go to sleep, without thoughts of his kidnapping lurking in the back of his mind.

The night went by and it was almost six in the morning when James finally fell asleep. But it didn't really help, the nightmares wouldn't let him forget.

The next morning James was supposed to go to the Ministry with his father, so he only got to sleep for two hours because they had to be there at nine. He got up from the bed, feeling the world spinning around him. He regained his balance and looked at his reflection in the mirror. There were black bags beneath his eyes and his whole face was pale and sunken, probably because staying awake for almost all night is not the best thing to do after you almost bled to death.

He sighed and pulled the sweaty shirt he had slept in off, walking to the closet to search for something he could wear. As he opened it he looked at the spot where his guitar usually was. He had lost it along with his broom when the Death Eaters were chasing him. With a jolt he realized he didn't have a wand either. Being with his father he didn't need to use any magic of his own and he hadn't really realized it till now. Great. The most valuable things he owned, were all gone.

"Hey, James, can you...?" Albus said entering the room without knocking but stopped mid-sentence.

James turned to face him and realized that his brother was gaping at him, looking startled at the cuts and bruises on his torso. James turned away hastily and pulled the first shirt he found in front of him on, feeling an unexplainable anger filling him inside.

"Haven't I told you to knock?" he snapped at Albus.

"What? Yeah, sorry", the boy replied.

Usually when James told him to knock, Albus was mocking him, but he didn't today; and that made James even more irritated. His brother bore the same sympathetic, pitiful look all the others had when they looked at him; he hated that.

"What do you want?" he asked him, trying to control the anger that was building inside him.

"What...? Nothing, never mind", the boy replied shaking his head. "James, are you okay?"

"I'm fine" James said in a flat tone. Albus must had gotten the anger in his voice, because he bit his lower lip; he didn't give up though.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should tell dad to take you to the hospital or..."

"I TOLD YOU I'M FINE!" James bellowed angrily.

"Okay, sorry", the boy said hastily.

"Stop looking at me like this", James said indignantly.

"Like what?"

"Like you've never seen me again in your entire life, Al!"

"Sorry", the boy said again, averting his eyes from his brother's figure and fixing them on the floor; James felt ready to explode.

He didn't want his brother to be sorry, he wanted him to get angry, he wanted to have an excuse to yell at someone.

"Oh, I bet you are", he said scathingly. "Really, since when do you inform strangers about what's happening in our family?"

"What?" Albus asked confused.

"Scorpius told me you told him about the argument I had with dad!" James hissed.

"I...he's my friend and...I just mentioned it to him...I didn't mean to..." Albus mumbled trying to defend himself.

"Did we have anything to do with your business? Why couldn't you just keep your big mouth shut?"

"Oh, I was the one who should have kept his mouth shut?" Albus said in an angry voice; James had succeeded in his purpose to aggravate him. "You were the one who opened your mouth and didn't know what the hell you were saying!"

"Dad says he forgives me and we're okay now", James informed him, with a shrug. "But I guess that you don't like that, right?"

"What do you mean?" Albus asked confused.

"OH, COME ON!" James exclaimed furiously. "Like you weren't enjoying always being the center of attention! The one everyone always fawns over; poor little Albus bemoaning over his issues. The one dad likes the most! I bet you didn't even want me to come back!"

"I never...I'm happy that you're back..." Albus said bemused. "How can you think...?"

"Yeah, go ahead and tell me I'm wrong. You always think you know everything, anyway!"

"I DON'T!" Albus yelled. "Why are you talking to me like this?"

"Because someone has to do it! I can't stand you, walking around like some kind of a martyr, anymore!" James said; his anger had taken complete control over him and the worse was that he knew his brother really well and he knew exactly what to say to hurt him. "Or did you expect that everyone will bow in front of you?"

"What is your problem?" Albus shouted at him. "How can you think those things of me?"

His hurt look wasn't going to stop James though; it felt good causing pain at someone else, it was like he was transmitting his pain and anguish to him.

"Because I just can't stand you anymore!" he told him.

The door opened again and their mother walked in.

"What's going on? Why are you two...? Al, are you okay?" Ginny asked looking at her youngest son's face.

The boy didn't respond, instead he stormed out. Ginny turned to her other son.

"James..."

"What?" he snapped at her.

"What did you say to him?"

"Nothing! It's not my fault that he gets hurt over nothing, is it?"

"James..." Ginny said again warningly.

And as the boy looked at his mother, the anger building inside him faded away and all that was left behind was a big, dark and deep void and he was falling in it. He bit his lower lip, felling his eyes welling up. For a few moments he couldn't breathe from the suffocating feeling that the void inside him was sucking him.

"I...I can't, mum...I just can't..." he said shaking his head and allowing the tears he was holding back all night to fall.

Ginny crossed the room and hugged him. James held on to her for dear life.

"It's gonna be okay, baby, it's gonna be okay", Ginny whispered stroking his hair.

"I...I didn't mean to upset Al...I just needed someone to let my anger on..."

"I know, honey", Ginny nodded kissing his forehead.

They just stayed like this; Ginny trying to calm her son down. Then Harry came; he stopped at the door watching them.

"What's going on?" he asked and they turned to look at him. "Jamie, are you okay?"

"I'm better now", he nodded, managing a watering smile. "I'll get ready for the Ministry...you go see Al and...tell him I'm sorry".

Harry considered them for a moment, but Ginny seemed able to console the boy faster and better than he did, so Harry did as James told him and a few seconds later he was knocking on Albus' door. He didn't get a response so he just opened the door. The boy was sitting next to the window with his legs pulled close to his chest.

"Al, are you okay?" Harry asked him as he closed the door and approached him.

The boy raised his head and looked at him.

"I guess", he shrugged. "Dad, why does James hate me so much?"

"He doesn't hate you", Harry said shaking his head negatively.

"Then why was he like that today? He thinks...he thinks I didn't want him to come back. The things he said... all I did was ask him if he was okay, when I saw the cuts on him".

"Al, your brother has been through a lot, during this last week", Harry sighed, sitting next to him. "They almost killed him", he said. "Yeah", he nodded when Albus looked at him taken aback. "He almost died; because the Death Eaters tortured him so badly. He has a lot of anger inside him and he just...he just used you as a punching bag".

"But, dad, he has issues with me...we, I mean...we're never gonna get along, are we?"

"Everybody has issues, Al" Harry replied. "You're brothers, you'll get over it, given time. He did tell me to tell you he was sorry".

Albus exhaled, feeling somewhat relieved.

"I feel like we're falling apart, dad", he said. "All of us... this thing has to end".

"I know", Harry nodded. "And I want it to end more than anyone, believe me, but I don't know how. All I know is that the Death Eaters will pay for what they did to Jamie and that I won't let any of you get hurt again...and that's a promise".

"Fine, then, I believe you", the boy smiled.

Harry apparated to the Ministry with James. The boy was shaking from nerves about having to testify all about the events in Austria. He looked at his father; he seemed quite nervous too but the boy couldn't understand why.

"Dad, what...?"

"Jamie, now that we're gonna get in, there might be some...some reporters waiting", Harry said and the boy groaned.

"What? Oh, come on dad, isn't there another way to get in?"

"There is but you have to work here...they won't let you in", Herry replied.

"This sucks! Why didn't you tell me from home?"

"So you wouldn't come?"

"No, so I could come better prepared! Look at me!" James said pointing at his casual clothes and his pale, black bags under the eyes face. "How am I gonna make the front page looking like this?"

Harry grunted and rolled his eyes indignantly.

"That's your problem?"

"Well, yeah! I have a music career to preserve, hello! I can't have pictures looking like crap! It will ruin my image!" James said seriously.

Harry rolled his eyes again and grabbed the boy's arm dragging him inside.

Hermione apparated home with Artemis to find Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen cooking and her son sitting there watching her.

"Hey, dear, weren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Hey, Molly", Hermione nodded. "I forgot some papers", she said and turned to her son. "Hey, honey, will you be a dear and go bring those papers to mummy?"

Hugo grunted but got up.

"Where are they?"

"In my bedroom, second drawer left", Hermione said and the boy nodded and left. "Molly, this is Artemis", Hermione said introducing the two women.

The girl shook Molly's hand.

"She's a fellow auror".

"Oh", Molly smiled. "Well, nice to meet you, dear. How come you two work together? I thought Harry was your partner?"

"He is but he's on a sabbatical...until today at least", Hermione shrugged. "Plus Artemis is working with us in the Apostollo case anyway", she added and the girl nodded.

"Oh, this Apostollo case...", Molly said shaking her head. "You're lucky", she added addressing Artemis. "You seem like you were too young when we had You-know-who terrorizing us...it's really hard to see the madness repeat itself".

"Actually...I had some of that madness in my life..." Artemis said. "My mother died during that last big battle in Hogwarts".

"Really? I didn't know!" Hermione said. "I'm sorry".

"It was a lot of years ago", the woman shrugged.

Hermione nodded and then coughed.

"So where's everybody else?" she asked mostly because she wanted to change the subject.

"Well, Hugo is getting you your stuff, Albus is upstairs and Ginny went to see Luna with Lilly and Rose", Molly answered.

"Oh, yeah she told me. They're discussing if Ginny could start writing for the Quibbler".

"Ginny shouldn't", Molly said shaking her head. "She's pregnant; and she has a house to..."

"Oh, Harry's wife is pregnant? I didn't know!" Artemis smiled.

"Yeah she is", Hermione nodded; then she turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Molly, we're talking about Ginny. She spent almost half a year not working since she quit the Prophet and honestly it's getting on her nerves!"

"Well, she shouldn't be considering to work again now with the baby coming!" Molly said indignantly. "It's not like they don't have money!"

"Tell me you didn't have a fight with her before she left".

"No...not a big one at least", Molly replied cutting a carrot in small pieces for the soup.

"She's a columnist, Molly. She writes about Quidditch, it's not like her job is dangerous!"

"In times like these it is! Our family is the number one target!"

"You know Ginny can't just stay home and do nothing. You should be proud of her", Hermione pointed out.

"Well, whatever", Mrs. Weasley shrugged as Hugo came handing his mother the papers she wanted.

"Thanks", Hermione smiled. "How come you didn't go to Luna's?"

"The boys wouldn't be there; they've gone somewhere with their father", Hugo replied.

"I see...So, we'd better go, then", Hermione told Artemis.

"Yeah, we'd better".

"I don't know, Lu", Ginny said as she sat in Luna's couch with her friend sitting in the opposite armchair with Rose and Lilly at each side of her.

"Know what?" Luna asked.

"If I can come writing for you now with all that's happening", Ginny responded.

"You mean Apostollo, huh? You know, he might be member of the Nomad conspiracy", Luna said and Ginny smiled.

"I don't think so, Luna", she responded not even asking what that conspiracy was. "Who else but a Death Eater would want to hurt my family? Who else would have kidnapped my son?"

"Well, you have a point", Luna admitted. "How's James?"

"He's pretty shaken but hopefully he'll be okay", Ginny said.

"Of course, he'll be okay! He's a strong kid; he took after his godmother!" Luna said proudly and Ginny laughed.

"I guess he did", she said. "Well, anyway that's why I'm not sure if..."

"Don't worry about it Gin", Luna stopped her. "Your safety comes first".

"Yeah, that's what my mum said", Ginny said rolling her eyes. "She's all about 'how are you gonna work in your state' and stuff".

"Wait...what state?"

"She pregant!" Lilly and Rose mused together in Luna's ears.

"And I just got nearly deaf but whatever!" Luna laughed. "That's great news Gin! Hey, I've got dibs for godmother!"

"You're James' godmother, Lu!" Ginny laughed. "McGonagall is Albus' and Ron and Hermione Lilly's...don't you think that Neville should do something too?"

"Well, fine, but the next one is mine", Luna announced.

"The next one?" Ginny exclaimed. "Honey, I have a family, I'm not trying to make a band!"

At the end of her sentence a loud apparition pop came from outside.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Ginny asked Luna getting up.

"Not really, but it could be..."

"Wait, Lu, don't go out", Ginny stopped her cluthing her hand.

Luna gave her a confused look but Ginny ignored it and approached the window, a bad feeling growing inside her.

It was worse than Harry had expected. The amount of reporters waiting in the atrium was far larger than any other day and Harry realized that somehow word had gotten out that he would be bringing his son to the Ministry today. And every single one of them wanted to be the one to take a picture or publish a word of Harry Potter's abducted son. The moment they spotted them, they fell on them like locust and even though James had tried to played cool before, Harry already knew that he would find it hard to deal with them. He took hold of his son's arm and kept him close to him, as they tried to get through the crowd of reporters, that kept asking them questions and taking pictures of them. Harry replied rudely to some of them, but James kept his head down and didn't say anything, until they reached the elevators.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked his son and James nodded albeit uncertainly.

"Just hadn't realized how many of them there would be", he said with a shiver. "One of them asked if you thought I deserved it because I ran away".

"Those people are nothing else than parasites James and I thought we had established that you are not to blame for any of this".

The boy sighed and then nodded, still feeling pretty shaken up afte the little ambush the reporters had for them. When he was imaging his band having a successful career, never had he thought of the publicity factor. He was never exactly shy, quite the opposite really, but he could do without those rude people in his life.

***

"So what did he say?" Harry asked Matthias as the man reentered the office.

"Well, he's not happy we lied to him but at least he's not firing any of us", the man responded.

"That's nice of him", Harry said ironically. "Why every Minister we have in times of a crisis has to be incompetent?"

"Don't let him hear you say that", Matthias said warningly.

"Whatever", Harry shrugged. "So, what's our next step?"

"Well, aurors have already been sent at Azkaban to figure out what happened...the boys saw Yaxley and you saw Rockwood and they both are supposedly imprisoned!"

"It's not the first time someone escapes Azkaban", Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, but all the other times we knew someone had escaped", Matthias sighed sitting behind his desk. "Did the boys finish testifying, yet?"

"Scorpius did, Jamie is still in".

"I hope we're gonna get something from them because it's not good...at all" Matthias said troubled.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"How did the Death Eaters knew how to find James? How did they know that he run away in the first place? And if there have been escapes from Azkaban how did they manage to cover it up?"

"Wait...you're implying that..."

"There's a mole in the Ministry and more specifically in the Auror office".


End file.
